Kingdom Hearts: Scattered Hearts
by WornAndOneWinged
Summary: (Sequel to Kingdom Hearts: Dark Hearts) Xarki attempts to fit in with the rest of the Organization during her week as their No. XIV, befriending Larxene and Zexion. But as Sora is put to sleep, Naminé eventually has to do the same to Xarki. One year later, Tsuki and Riku embark on a journey to recover the people who are mysteriously missing certain worlds. ORIGINAL CHARACTERS
1. Both Sides

**~Songs from the Kingdom Hearts: Dark Hearts series are now on my WornAndOneWinged Youtube account!~**

**RP pages for the original characters are now on Facebook! Just type in the name of the character you want to talk to and add "-Kingdom Hearts to the end of it (Roka- Kingdom Hearts, Tristis- Kingdom Hearts). And if you're not into RP, then stop by anyway to see pictures of the characters! Do they look how you imagined them to be? :)**

Alright,_ welcome to Part 2 of KH: Dark Hearts! Who's excited!? ME! Just saying! To keep it new and fresh, there's going to be a few differences between this and Part 1. Firstly, I'm going to avoid the happy cutesy stuff. It gets a little cheesy and it's hard to write good dialogue for it. But even so, this isn't going to be all dark and depressing, cos y'know, that's no fun! In fact, it mostly _will _be fun, so don't you worry about that! Another difference is that for the majority of the story, Tsuki and Riku are going to be the main characters, with Kira, Roka, Naminé and two secret original characters (oooh secret...) as the second most important characters. And the final difference is that __the rating is a little higher! I wouldn't say it's __more...inappropriate...just that it pushes a few boundaries when it comes to what is acceptable in the original Kingdom Hearts world. But it'll be nothing compared to the other fanfics out there that _are _quite inappropriate, let me tell you that much! Just the odd nice romancey scene and a slightly awkward scene here and there. The occasional mild naughty word is thrown around a couple of times, too. _

_The story's going to start off with Kira's Nobody, Xarki, and her week in Organization XIII as a kind of prologue for the main story, set in the timeline of CoM. Sorry about the prologue being so long, I did my best to make it as 'to-the-point' as possible. But stick around and the story will dive straight into the KH2 timeline and the real adventure will begin!_

_Happy reading, everyone~! **P.S. I'd avoid reading this if you haven't read my Kingdom Hearts: Dark Hearts. Otherwise, it might not make a lot of sense!**_

_**P.P.S The cover photo is a drawing I made of Kira and Tsuki's light forms sleeping in a bed of roses :)**_

**Destiny Islands**

Roka and Kairi were walking through the peaceful and quiet town of Destiny Islands. Their pace was quick, but their feet were dragging along the ground as if they didn't really want to get to the place they were walking to in much of a hurry. Although they did not walk together and although they were half a world apart, each on their own side of the Islands, they walked through their towns with the same objective.

On the way to their destinations, they stopped by the houses of Riku and Tsuki. They walked through their front lawns, stepped onto their porches and knocked on their front doors. They were greeted by the pleasantly surprised expressions of Riku's father and Tsuki's parents.

"Roka, I'm so glad you're safe! We've been so worried," Tsuki's mother pulled Roka into a warm hug.

Tsuki's father glanced behind Roka, his eyes searching for Kira or his daughter.  
"Did you come here alone?" he asked worriedly.

Roka looked down at his feet and nodded slowly.

"Kairi? Oh, it's good to see you. Are Riku and Sora with you?" Riku's father asked in his usual depressed tone.

Kairi looked into the oblivious man's eyes before shaking her head with a sigh.

Roka and Kairi told the parents of their two friends to come with them to come with them to Kira and Sora's house. When they asked where their children were, Roka and Kairi could only reply a quiet "I don't know."  
When they reached their friend's houses, they asked the confused parents of Kira and Sora if they could come inside and talk about something important with them. After sitting everyone down in the living rooms, they found spaces for themselves to sit where everyone could see them. After taking a few moments to decide on what to say, their thoughts were interrupted by a serious question from Sora and Kira's mothers.

"Where are they?"

Kairi and Roka had tears in their eyes as they built up the courage to say what they wished with all their hearts wasn't true.

"They're not coming home."


	2. Xarki

**~Day 1~**

**The World That Never Was**

The silence in Xarki's room gave her a sense of peace in the strange situation she had found herself in. Her memories of the life she had been living were no longer the memories of someone she used to be. They were hers and hers alone. But she was still one step away from becoming Kira once again. Although, somehow, her heart had returned to her, it wasn't complete; The light was still missing from it. She didn't know how it had happened, but not long after she had lost her heart as a result of Sora losing his, it had mysteriously found its way back into her being. She might not have technically been a _complete_ person, but she wasn't a Nobody anymore. And she certainly didn't belong in this in-between world in which this particular group of Nobodies had made their home.

Xarki wondered if Sora had somehow been revived and this had caused her own heart to return. She wasn't positive that this was the case, but she silently thanked him anyway.

Nearly at the point of falling asleep, she jolted upright when her bedroom door flew open. A blonde-haired woman came into the room, closing the door behind her. She had two conspicuous pieces of hair that stuck out and over the top of her head, much like a pair of antennae. She jogged over to the bed and jumped onto the end of it, landing on her knees.

"So, _you're _the newbie? Wow, I was expecting someone...scarier. I mean, Xemnas could have sent any one of us to take you out, but he went and hired _her _to do the job! Speaking of which, what's she like?" the woman bent her hands on the bed and leaned in close.

Xarki stared at her with a slightly open mouth, "Um, what are you talking about?" was all she could think of to say.

The woman lifted her hands from the bed and slammed them into the sheets.  
"_Ikari!_ What's she like, now?"

Xarki was now well and truly awake. "I don't have time for this," she sighed, looking away.  
The 14-year-old, now having a heart that was completely made up of darkness, couldn't really help throwing the odd rude comment around, even though it wasn't in her usual nature to do so.

The woman grabbed the front of Xarki's coat and in doing so, passed an electrical current into her body. Xarki's teeth clenched, her short purple hair stood on end as her body jolted violently until the woman pulled her hand away.

"Oops, didn't mean to do that. I'm Larxene. You're Xarki, right?"

Xarki was still getting her breath back as she glared at her. "Yeah, I guess that'd be me."

Larxene pushed herself up from her kneeling position and sat cross-legged on the top sheet.  
"This is so weird. I'm really excited! I mean, it's not just the fact that I _shouldn't_ be able to feel excited...I'm the type of person who's always in a foul mood. Now I'm really hyper and I kinda like the feeling! I mean, I've finally found someone I can relate to. You were killed by Ikari, too!" Larxene's face was now uncomfortably close to Xarki's.

Xarki turned away even more so that she couldn't feel Larxene's excited breathing on her face.  
"You got it all wrong. Ikari didn't kill me," she muttered.

Larxene gave a short 'huh?' as she moved away and sat a little further down the bed.

Feeling less crowded, Xarki made eye-contact again. "It's true," she shrugged.

Larxene scratched at her short hair in confusion. "So...she was sent to destroy you, but she didn't have the guts to do it?"

Xarki shook her head, "No, she tried. After she took out my best friend, I went after Ikari. We got into a bad fight, but I lost my heart before I had a chance to finish her off."

Larxene seemed to be genuinely interested, "How did you lose your heart?"

Xarki's lips lifted up into a smirk. "I think I'll keep that part a secret. Now, what did you mean when you said that I was killed by Ikari _too_?"

Larxene returned the smirk. "She's my murderer, as well. Drained my life force and pushed me right off a cliff."

"Why would she do that?"

"And that's my little secret," Larxene put a finger to her lips and gave a cheeky wink.  
She pushed herself off the bed and started to walk across the room.  
"My room's right next door. Stop by for a chat whenever you like," she turned to face Xarki after opening the door.  
"I like you, kid. You're not boring. Plus, you're the only other girl so you'll be a better conversation partner than the other idiot men around here," she laughed as she left the room.

Xarki groaned loudly, falling back onto her pillow. Larxene was a strange one, but Xarki was glad to have found someone in the Organization that could possibly become her friend. That was a comforting fact.

...

Later that day, the second-in-command member, Saïx, took her to Where Nothing Gathers to be presented to the other Organization members. She looked up at all of them with a blank expression. Apart from Xemnas who was smiling at her with narrow eyes and Larxene who was discretely waving at her, everyone returned the same emotionless looks. Xarki bit back a glare of hatred. These Nobodies would never be her family.

Before she knew it, Saïx was taking her to the Round Room. He stood by the back wall and gave Xarki an unimpressed look.  
"Missions start tomorrow. For now, get yourself acquainted with the other members."  
And with that, he stared at a blank spot behind Xarki; ignoring her completely.

_Well that was rude, _Xarki forced away another glare and nodded politely instead, even though Saïx didn't even acknowledge it. She walked over to one of the sofa's and sat down. Dark Corridors appeared around the room and the other members stepped into the Round Room.  
Larxene made a beeline for Xarki and jumped onto the couch next to her. She looked over her shoulder and motioned for someone to join her. Xarki saw a tall man with striking blue eyes and long pink hair approach.

"Look, look! This is my new buddy, Xarki!" Larxene hugged the protesting purple-haired girl tightly.

The man laughed quietly and sat down on the sofa opposite them. "So, you're the one Lord Xemnas put so much effort into obtaining? I didn't expect you to be so young. In any case, welcome to Organization XIII," he addressed her with a nod.

"That's my other buddy, Marluxia," Larxene grinned.

Marluxia gingerly placed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "There are friends, and then there are acquaintances. Both of which you are neither to me."

Larxene gasped, letting go of Xarki as she jumped to her feet. With a swipe of her hands, she summed blue and yellow knives between her fingers.  
"Well, the only other option is to be enemies! Bring it on, Mar-_loser!_"

Marluxia reacted to the name calling by clenching his jaw and shooting a death stare her way.

A boy in his late teens approached, holding a book to his chest. His short hair was dark silver and covered one of his eyes.  
"I believe the rules clearly state: no sparring in the Round Room. Take it outside."  
He sat on the other rend of the couch that Marluxia was sitting on. Placing his book on his knee, he put his elbow on the arm of the sofa, resting his chin on his hand.

Larxene glared and pouted at the boy as she flopped back onto the spot next to Xarki.  
"Killjoy over there is Zexion," Larxene told her, pointing to him with an extended thumb.

Zexion opened his hardcover and flipped to a page near the middle.  
"Nice to meet you, Callow Adversary," he said without looking up.

Xarki had almost forgotten about her title. Xemnas had given it to her as soon as he had taken her to her room for the first time.

The Callow Adversary: 'Callow,' meaning 'inexperienced' and 'Adversary,' meaning 'enemy'. It fit her perfectly.

A man in his early twenties came and sat on the third couch in between the two occupied ones. His hair was dirty blonde and styled into a mullet. He held a blue sitar on his knee and began to strum it softly.  
"Found yourself a little henchman, have you?" he turned his head and smirked at Larxene.

Putting her arm around Xarki, Larxene gave him a snooty look. "F-Y-I, Demyx, she's my new buddy! Don't refer to her as my henchman!"

"Witch," Demyx muttered, turning his attention back to his sitar.

"Shut it, Nocturne!" Larxene spat.

Demyx opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him made him think twice. Everyone's gaze turned to the man with the eye-patch and the mid-back length black and silver ponytail as he gave Demyx a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Cool it, Plucky. This room is child friendly. Wouldn't wanna upset the newbie with your naughty no-no-language, now would we?" he chuckled.  
He strutted to the front of the sofa and sat next to Demyx; a little too close for the blonde's liking.  
"Name's Xigbar. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself to Xarki.

Finally feeling like she could contribute to the conversation, Xarki replied curtly, "Likewise."

"Whoa, calm down, Chatterbox," Xigbar teased.

Xarki smiled a little. _This guy is pretty cool for a Nobody. _Xigbar noticed the smile immediately and returned it with a satisfied grin.

"I take it the others had better things to do?" Marluxia spoke up.

Xigbar nodded, "Eeyup. Couldn't be bothered coming here to meet Chatterbox."

"Well, that was nice of them," Xarki smiled to herself as she made that sarcastic remark.

"I think it's a good thing. It'd be too crowded with all the others around. Besides, we're the only interesting ones here!" Larxene giggled, swinging her arm around her new friend. She rocked Xarki from side to side playfully.

Xarki forced herself to calm down and released the tension in her body. She figured it would be easier to relax and at least pretend that she was enjoying herself for a while. After all, she deserved a break.

"So, where's Axel?" Larxene suddenly asked.

"Isn't he with the Superior getting the second Keyblade wielder?" Zexion muttered.

Everyone nodded.

"Are you talking about Sora's Nobody?"

The Nobodies all smirked at Xarki's inquiry.

"Had our eye on him for a while now, haven't we. You and that boy's Nobody are gonna help us all get hearts," Xigbar said the words like they had been well practiced.

"Kingdom Hearts, right?" Xarki remembered the conversation she had with DiZ right before her final showdown with Ikari.

"And how could you have known that?" Marluxia wondered.

Xarki was hesitant to reply, "I...I mean, Kira had herself educated on Organization XIII's plans before...well, you know."

"Before she kicked the bucket~" Demyx worked the words into a tune that he played on his sitar. He received a well deserved smack from Xigbar.

"Insensitive, much?" he snarled.

Demyx rubbed his sore arm and ignored him.

Zexion closed his book suddenly and made eye-contact with Xarki for the first time, intentionally making her feel uneasy.  
"Just out of sheer curiosity... was the lady we sent after you violently malicious when she put knife to throat, or did she show you mercy and be gentle with you?"

No one dared question the insensitivity shown this time. Xarki swallowed hard, but tried to hide her nervousness.

"Well, actually, after all that, she didn't kill me," she answered honestly.

This sparked everyone's attention. Even Demyx looked up, concerned.

"Oh? Then how did you die?" Zexion obviously wasn't afraid to throw around words like 'kill' or 'die'.

"She doesn't want to talk about it, so just drop it, Zexion," Larxene was quick to stand up to him.

"Hmph. Very well then," Zexion forced a smile. He stood up from the sofa and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.

"And on that note, I've got a mission to get to," Xigbar stood as well. "See you later, Chatterbox."

Xarki gave him a polite nod and a smile as he left.  
"I might go back to my room," she excused herself. "Nice to meet you guys."

Marluxia and Demyx nodded a farewell.

"See you later, buddy~!" Larxene waved as Xarki departed in a Dark Corridor.

"Awfully chipper today, aren't we?" Demyx sneered once Xarki had left.

"I agree. What's gotten into you?" Marluxia asked.

Larxene glared at both of them. "Well _excuse _me for finally finding someone that's actually worth my time. She's not too happy, not too moody, she's not dumber than me and she's not smarter than me. And she knows how to take a joke! She's my kinda girl!"

...

Xarki appeared in the middle of her room and stepped out of the portal. After the darkness disappeared, she was able to see her room, and the figure on her bed, much more clearly.

Zexion looked up at her, smirking.

"What are you doing in my room?" Xarki demanded.

Zexion, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, stood up and started to walk slowly towards her.  
"I just wanted to have a little private talk with our newest member," he said innocently.

Xarki started to walk backwards, mirroring Zexion's steps. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like the way that Zexion was smiling at her.

"Won't you hold still for a moment?" he said.

With that, Xarki turned and sprinted to the door that was just a couple of metres away. Zexion bolted after her, catching up too quickly for her to have a chance to escape. He took hold of her arm and spun her around. He threw her with great force towards the other side of the room, earning a frightened gasp from her. She flew all the way to her bed which she fell onto with a moan of pain.

Before she was aware of it, Zexion had made his way over to her and was now pinning her down by her arms, which he held up by her head. He paused, looking down and the girl he was holding captive for a moment before her leaned in close to her face. He inhaled deeply through his nose.

"W-what are you doing?" Xarki was really getting creeped out now.

"I knew it. You don't smell like a Nobody at all," Zexion muttered to himself.

Xarki tried to kick him, but he had his knees pushing her legs into the side of the bed so she couldn't move them.

Zexion moved his head down and placed it upon the part of her chest that could be seen under her coat. Xarki took a second in her panic to realise that even though Nobodies were theoretically unable to feel emotions, they seemed to like getting really close to each other. Or maybe they didn't think much of it because they couldn't feel awkward or embarrassed. But because Xarki was well and truly capable of feeling, she was growing more uncomfortable by the second as she felt the side of Zexion's face and part of his fringe press up against her bare skin.

After a couple of seconds, Zexion gasped and lifted his head.  
"A heartbeat."  
His eyes were now locked onto Xarki's.

"A-are you going to tell Xemnas?" Xarki stuttered as she whispered.

Who knew what the Superior would do to her if he found out that Xarki already had the one thing that the Organization was trying to obtain.

Zexion smirked as he moved his hands to Xarki's shoulders; freeing her hands, but still keeping her firmly stuck to the bed.  
"I won't tell. But I would like you to tell me how you came to get your heart back."

Zexion obviously wasn't someone to be messed with. But Xarki knew that if the Organization found out about the connection of her heart to Sora's and the consequence of destroying either of them, that could mean big trouble for her and her Reverse.

"I'm not going to tell you. Now get off me!" Xarki tried to shove him with her free hands, but he barely budged an inch.

Zexion was a lot stronger than he looked and that was a frightening fact. He gave a small laugh at her efforts before releasing her completely. Taking a few steps back, he put a hand on his own chest.  
"I'm very interested to learn how to obtain a heart as quickly as you have. I'll just have to come back tomorrow. And the next day. And even the day after that if I have to. I'm sure you'll get very used to having me around. But, let's not try to run away next time, alright? It might make things a little easier for the both of us," and then he gave her a polite smile and left the room.

Xarki sat up slowly and stared at the door as it closed, panting out of fear and shock. She pushed herself to the back wall that her bed was standing up against and wrapped her shaking arms around herself. She wanted to leave the Organization right then and there, but the lingering thought in the back of her mind reminded her that the other members could easily track her down again. It was no use trying.

Zexion had seemed so calm and collected when she had first met him. What other frightening secrets did the members of Organization XIII have? Xarki felt trapped.

"_Dammit!_" she screamed.

She didn't mean to throw her fist behind her to punch the wall; her hand just seemed to move on its own. It shocked her at first, but it made her feel a little better. Even so, the anxiety she was experiencing turned to sadness and she fell onto her pillow, crying.

She missed her friends terribly.


	3. Zexion's Bedtime Story

**~Day 2~**

**Twilight Town**

The swarm of Soldier Heartless disappeared in clouds of darkness with a single swipe from Xarki's Keyblade. Larxene was behind her, taking on a pack of Shadows. The bell on Twilight Town's clock tower chimed the hour.

"Hey, how'd you get so good at fighting?" Larxene finished off her last Heartless for the day.

Xarki dismissed her Keyblade as she watched the little hearts from the Soldiers disappear.  
"I had a good teacher," she smiled as she pushed her fringe back around her face.

"Oh yeah, you were training under that mouse king, weren't you?" Larxene shook the knives in between her fingers as she spoke.

The bittersweet memories of King Mickey Mouse flooded Xarki's mind all at once and brought tears to her eyes. She just nodded at Larxene because she felt that if she replied verbally, she might burst into tears.

"Well, we're all done here. Shall we RTC?" Larxene's knives disappeared in a white flash.

"RT...Oh, Return To the Castle? Sure," Xarki swallowed her sadness as she worked out what Larxene was talking about.

"Great. This Savage Nymph needs her beauty sleep!" Larxene referred to her title as the 11th member of Organization XIII.

Xarki took it upon herself to open a Corridor of Darkness to take both of them home and she departed with Larxene following close behind.

**The World That Never Was**

The two girls appeared in the Round Room and were coldly greeted with Saïx's citrine-coloured eyes. He glared at Xarki and Larxene for a second before turning his attention to something behind them.

"Ah. I've been expecting you," he said in his droning voice.

Larxene looked over her shoulder at whoever was approaching and froze suddenly. Her eyes were growing wider and she turned pale. Xarki followed her gaze and quickly gave the same reaction.

"Where's Xemnas," Ikari demanded, apparently not noticing Larxene and Xarki.

Saïx shook his head slowly, "I'm afraid the Superior is too busy to see you at this time."

Ikari pulled out a blade from behind her back and aimed it at the blue-haired Nobody. Xarki recognised Ikari's strange weapon immediately.  
"Well you better tell him to get his sorry ass out here right now if he knows what's good for him!" Ikari threatened.

Xigbar's groaning was heard from one of the sofas. "No-no language, no-no language, how many times do I have to say about the no-no language! It makes my ears bleed, for crying out loud!" Xarki couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Either way, it didn't seem to faze Ikari in the slightest and she held her weapon firmly in front of her.

"Perhaps you would like to talk to me on the Superior's behalf?" Saïx suggested.

"Alright then. How about starting with this. I went back to Hollow Bastion and _guess what I found?_" Ikari's tone was getting really scary now.  
"That's right, you guessed it! _Tsuki is still there! _I went through all that trouble to kill her for you and you leave her there like she's…like she's _nothing! _But that's not the real problem here. The _real _problem is that you tracked me down…hired me to help you…promised to pay me…and then you don't even acknowledge me for the job I did! What was the point of bringing me into all this is the first place?! _What was the point of all this?!_" Ikari had been swiping the air with her blade furiously.

Larxene and Xarki were both glaring at her, obviously trying to stop themselves from lashing out in anger. Saïx wouldn't like that.

"You fail to see the significance of the action you took regarding that girl's life. It was necessary for you to eliminate her and it did not matter whether or not she was needed in this Organization. Why, can't you just see it? Her best friend was taken by a group of strange and powerful Nobodies. What would stop her from storming the castle to save her? The answer to that is obvious. Her 've done us a great help. I thank you on behalf of the Organization." Saïx said calmly.

"But you have _thirteen _freakin' members in this Organization that could have easily done the job for you! Why'd you go through all the trouble to hire _me?_"

"It would have been too risky. I didn't want to expose any of our members to that kind of darkness. But you, also born into a world of darkness, stood a much better chance against her," Saïx explained it as if he hardly even needed to think about the words he was saying.

Ikari opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as Saïx's explanation sunk into her mind. It made some sense; she couldn't deny that. She sighed and slowly lowered her weapon putting it behind her back again. "So…what about my pay?"

Saïx pulled a small pouch from coat pocket. "Two-thousand munny as promised," he slowly held it out towards her.

Ikari seemed reluctant to take the pouch and she cautiously opened it as if to verify its contents. When she was happy with what she saw, she quickly shoved it into her own pocket.  
"Thanks, I guess," she said quietly.

Saïx gave her a nod and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness without much warning. Ikari turned and finally noticed Xarki and Larxene standing there. She choked on a gasp and tried to keep her cool.

"Good to see you, Arleen," she said formally.

Larxene clenched her fist and spoke through gritted teeth, "Thanks to you, my _friend_, that's not who I am anymore. I'm a Nobody, Ikari. Because of your _stupidity_I'm a Nobody!"

"Stop trying to push the blame on me! You and I both know that neither of us wouldn't be where we are now if you hadn't betrayed me the way you did!" Ikari was quick with a comeback, as if they'd had this argument a thousand times before.

"I did nothing wrong! _Nothing! _I didn't deserve what you did to me at all!"

"Look, I wasn't even going to kill you. I just wanted to hurt you a little. I was mad, okay, and I had every right to be. But if it wasn't for _your _stupidity, you wouldn't have tripped and fallen off that cliff!"

"_You were sucking the life out of me! _It wasn't exactly _easy _to keep my balance in a situation like that!"

Xarki felt like screaming at Ikari too, but she couldn't find any words to throw at her. After all, what are you supposed to say to someone who, just a couple of days ago, was trying to kill you?

Ikari gave a shallow sigh as she pushed her thick black hair over her shoulder, "I don't even have time for this, Arleen."

"That's _Larxene _to you!" Larxene summoned her throwing knives with a quick swipe of each hand.

Zexion had been sitting on another couch and had most likely been listening in on everything that had just happened. He spoke up without turning his head to look at them, "No sparring in the Round Room. Take it outside."

"I'd be more than happy to," Larxene summoned a Dark Corridor.

Grabbing the front of Ikari's shirt, she jumped into it and pulled her along with her. Without thinking too much about it, Xarki sprinted into the darkness as well.

By the time the portal had cleared on top of Memory Skyscraper, Xarki could already see Larxene full-on attacking Ikari with her knives. Ikari stumbled backwards a few times before she saw an opening to take out her own weapon and perform a powerful attack of her own. Xarki held out a hand and summoned her Keyblade, rushing to stand at Larxene's side. Before Ikari could bring her blade down upon the blonde Nobody, Xarki threw her Keyblade up to block the attack. She countered it with a well-timed Blizzard spell, making Ikari cough as she was struck. Larxene took the opportunity that Xarki had given her to send a flurry of Lightning attacks towards her one-time friend, making her jolt and fall to the ground, shaking a little. As Larxene was charging towards her, Ikari was already summoning a Corridor of Darkness.

"I hope I see you in Hell," she breathed the dismal words as she disappeared.

Larxene still attempted to attack her, but her knives only stabbed the top of the skyscraper and were now firmly stuck in it.  
"Damn it! Damn her!" Larxene started screaming. She covered her mouth with her gloved hands and her high-pitched, frustrated growls were muffled by doing so.

Xarki ran to her side and put a hand on the Nobody's shoulder. Almost as if the weight of Xarki's touch was too heavy for her, Larxene dropped to her knees. She lowered her head in defeat, hands still covering her mouth.

Xarki crouched down beside her. "It's…it's okay, Larxene," was all she could think of to say.

"Ikari makes me so…confused. I don't understand how I can be genuinely angry and upset like this. It shouldn't be possible," Larxene's voice was croaky and sad, like she was crying. But no tears fell from her turquoise eyes.

...

Xarki didn't have to say much; she was able to calm Larxene down just by being there with her. The two of them eventually went back to The Castle That Never Was and retired to their rooms for the night.

Xarki had actually forgotten all about Zexion and so it surprised her to see him sitting on her bed as he had done the day before. But she reacted out of annoyance this time, rather than fear.

"I'm going to bed now, so unless you want to be all creepy and watch me sleep, you'd better leave," she put as much bite into her words as she could.

Zexion smirked and closed the book he had rested on his lap. "How about a bedtime story, first? I'm sure you'll find I'm an excellent reader." He got up and took a couple of steps from the bed, allowing Xarki to sit on it once she had taken her boots off.

"How about you go and harass one of the other members. I'm sure _Demyx_ would love a bedtime story," she couldn't help but smile mid-sentence. The thought of Demyx all snuggled up in bed, falling asleep as Zexion read to him was surprisingly amusing.

"Oh, but I'm sure you'll like this story. It's one where you get to decide what happens," Zexion pulled out the chair from under Xarki's desk and sat down.

Xarki sighed, "Well, if it will make you leave faster, then I suppose I'll listen."

"Wonderful. Now let's see, where shall we start?" Zexion cleared his throat.  
"Once upon a time, there was a Nobody called Zexion and a little girl called Xarki. The most important difference between them was that Xarki had a heart and poor Zexion was merely an empty shell who was never meant to exist."

Xarki already didn't like where this story was going.

"One day, Zexion decided to ask Xarki a question. 'Xarki,' he said, 'how did you ever come to get your heart back after losing it?" And so Xarki decided to be nice and tell Zexion all about it.  
"Now, this is where you come in. Would you like to help me finish the story?" Zexion smiled innocently.

Xarki put on the same cute smile. "'Well,' said Xarki, 'the only way to get your heart back is through hard work and perseverance.' And having learned that good moral, Zexion finally left Xarki alone. The end."

Zexion breathed a small laugh and clapped softly. "Bravo, you are quite the story-teller. But I'm sure you have figured out, that was not quite the ending I was hoping for."

"Well, sorry, but it's the best one I've got."

"And that's not your fault, of course. We can't all be great authors, after all. But I do hope there's a way to change that ending so that our story's protagonist finally gets what he wants," Zexion stood up, holding his book to his chest.

"And who made _you _the hero? You're acting more like the villain, if you ask me," Xarki pushed back the sheets and slid down the bed. She pulled the covers back up to her shoulders as she lay her head down on the pillow.

"Oh, but there doesn't have to be an antagonist at all. Don't you see? We could both be on the same side if you were to help me out with this one little favour I'm asking," Zexion turned and headed for the door.

"All this is pointless, you know. I'm not going to change my mind," Xarki assured him firmly.

Zexion opened the door slowly, "And that is precisely why I'm going to change it for you. Goodnight, Xarki. Sleep well," he sang softly. As he left, he turned the light off and closed the door behind him.

Xarki turned in her bed and pulled the covers over her head, burying herself in them.

"Creep."


	4. Crush

**~Day 3~**

Xarki returned to Round Room after a solo mission. Saïx had recognised her talents and decided that it was pointless to send her with a partner from now on because she was more than capable of completing missions by herself. Xarki didn't mind it too much, but it was still quite tiring for her.  
She sighed as she ran a hand through her short purple curls and flopped down on one of the sofas. A Nobody she hadn't met before was sitting on the sofa opposite her. His eyes were narrow and bright green and his long red hair was spiked in all directions. He leaned over and rested his elbow on his knee.

"So, _you're _Xarki? Huh, you're kinda-"

"Young? In-experienced? Short?" Xarki tried to help finish his sentence.

"I was actually gonna say 'cute'. For a Nobody, I mean," the red-haired man laughed awkwardly.  
"Cause, y'know…Nobodies generally aren't all that cute. _Anyway_, the name's Axel."

Xarki smiled politely, "Nice to meet you."

It was only the third day, but already Xarki was feeling a lot more comfortable around these strange Nobodies.  
In her exhaustion after having just returned from a hard mission, Xarki had failed to notice the chessboard that was set upon the table in-between the two sofas.

Axel saw her stare at it in confusion and laughed.  
"I was kinda hoping someone would play with me. But I guess everyone's too busy."

Xarki stared at it a little while longer. The pieces were already set up; the black ones were on Xarki's side.  
"Well, it's been a while since I've played chess, but I think I still remember all the rules and stuff. I'll play, if you want?" she smiled.

Axel clapped his hands together, "Perfect! I'll admit, I'm not much of a chess player either, so I'd say we're equally matched."

"Let's play to win, anyway," Xarki had her game face on.

Axel gestured for her to move first and she picked a pawn at random to move forwards one square. Axel did the same with one of his own white pawns.  
"So, how are you finding the Organization life?" he tried to start a friendly conversation.

Xarki made her second move. "It's alright, I guess. I can't exactly say it makes me either happy or sad, can I?"

"Well, you're right about that. But…how else can I word it? Are you _glad _to be here?" Axel moved again.

"Isn't 'glad' a feeling?" Xarki moved one of her black knights.

"Well it's such a _tiny _feeling, it's more like a thought. Yes, that's a good way to put it! What do you _think _of all this Organization stuff?" Axel pushed his rook forward a couple of spaces with two fingers.

Xarki paused for a second before moving a bishop. "Well, I think that the Organization's goal is good and understandable…"

"But…?" Axel could tell that there was a second part to that statement.

He careless moved one of his pawns too close to one of Xarki's and she seized the opportunity to take it out with a diagonal move. Replacing it with her own pawn, she took the white piece off the board and set it down on the table.

"But we're kinda going about it the wrong way, don't you think?"

Axel mourned the loss of his pawn for a second before moving a knight. "Well, how else do you suggest we get hearts?"

Xarki stayed silent for a few turns as she thought about her reply.  
"I don't…I mean…" she still couldn't find the right words to say as she moved a rook a few spaces across the board and took out one of his knights.

"Ooh, good move. Now, let's just think about it like this. We're collecting the hearts we obtain from defeating Heartless. So in the process of creating our Kingdom Hearts, we're also decreasing the population of Heartless. That's a good thing, right?" Axel took out Xarki's rook with one of his pawns.

A few more turns passed before Xarki found an answer to his question.  
"Well, yeah, when you put it that way. But still…there's something about the way this Organization runs. The fact that they're willing to do absolutely anything to achieve their goal. Even take someone's _life_. Are you really _glad _to be a part of an Organization like that?" She moved a bishop to the space diagonal to her king's space, ready to shield it from any of Axel's attacks.

This time it was Axel who waited a few turns before replying.

"Okay, so we're not exactly good guys, but…I don't know."

Neither of them had anything to say for a while. By the time Xarki spoke up again, she only had her king, her bishops, a rook and a couple of pawns left on the board.

"So what happens once everyone gets hearts? Do you stay as Organization XIII or do you all go your separate ways?"

Axel only had his king, his queen, a couple of pawns and a rook left on the board.  
"It seems way too simple, but still, that sounds about right. I can't exactly see myself 'keeping in touch' with any of the other members once we all split up," he made finger quotation marks as he smirked. He took out one of her bishops with his rook.

"You don't have any friends here?" Xarki attacked Axel's rook with her last bishop, leaving his king vulnerable.  
"Check."

Axel paused as he moved his king diagonally out of the rooks' path.  
"Nah, I'm a bit of a loner here. But Xigbar's alright, I guess. Roxas is pretty cool, too. And there's always Saïx. I like to give him a hard time," he laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Xarki moved her rook forwards, determined to chase his king down.  
"Check. What about Larxene?"

Axel was quick to defend his king by sending his queen after Xarki's rook. She gave a disappointed sigh as she was forced to take on another strategy.

"Larxene? Heh. It's kinda hard to take her seriously when she's got a major crush on me," Axel said it like he couldn't really believe it.

Xarki wasn't really sure what to do, so she just moved one of her pawns.  
"She likes you? Are you sure that's actually…possible?"

"Well you kinda just answered your own question, there. Like is a lot different to _love_. She might like what she sees, but I wouldn't go as far as to say she's in _love _with me," Axel moved his queen.

"Alright, but what if she _could _love you? How would you react?" Xarki was only asking out of curiosity as she moved her bishop closer to his king.

Axel sighed into a laugh, "It wouldn't work out. She's not really my type."

Xarki moved another pawn. "And what _is _your type?" She immediately blushed after asking that. If she had come across flirty, she hadn't meant to. She was only trying to make conversation.

Axel paused as he chuckled to himself.

"Men."

Xarki had lost her train of thought when she was trying to hide her blush. She ran over the last couple of statements that were made in the conversation to make sure she was following it correctly. _She's not really my type. And what _is _your type? Men._

"W-what?!"

Axel made eye-contact with Xarki, a sly grin on his face.

"Check mate."

The last couple of moves that Xarki had made had consequently left her king undefended and vulnerable to Axel's queen's attack. He slowly moved the white piece across the board and knocked the king over. It landed with a small _tap_.

Xarki hardly cared about her loss, however. She was still trying to make sure she'd heard Axel properly. The red-haired Nobody stood up from the sofa.

"And Axel triumphs over his fierce and crafty opponent! Good game, Xarki," he held out his hand for her to shake it, a winning smile on his face.

Xarki just stared at him with her mouth open.  
"Wh-wh-wh…"

"Huh? Oh that! Sorry, I was just messing with you. I just couldn't resist! But, geez, I didn't expect it to _traumatize _you!"

"What? Really? Grr…that was mean," Xarki shot her best glare in Axel's direction.

"Why would it have bothered you so much if I swung that way?" Axel wondered as he started picking the chess pieces up. He shoved them into his pockets.

"Oh, well I guess it wouldn't have, really. You just kinda took me by surprise there, that's all," Xarki said honestly.

Axel picked up the chess board. "Well, don't you worry. This Flurry of Dancing Flames is all for the ladies!" he gave Xarki a mischievous wink.

Xarki giggled at his silliness.

"Well, this was fun! And it was nice to finally meet you. I better be off to bed now, so see you tomorrow!" Axel waved as he summoned a Dark Corridor.

"Nu-night, Axel," Xarki smiled as she pushed herself off the sofa and summoned her own portal.

The two of them gave each other one more wave as they disappeared.

...

This time Xarki found both Zexion and Larxene in her room. Zexion was sitting on the bed as usual and Larxene was standing over him with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, welcome back, Xarki," Zexion was quick to give her a friendly greeting.

"Hi. Now, what trouble are you here to cause for me _this _time?" Xarki asked as she pulled her feet out of her boots.

"This creep won't get out of your room! No matter how much I scream and shove him, he just won't _move!_" Larxene attempted to push Zexion's arm, but the strong Nobody hardly moved at all.

"I'm just here to visit my dear friend Xarki, that's all," Zexion put on a serious expression.

"Well I came here to talk to her first, so get _out!_" Larxene shoved him again.  
She passed a jolt of lightning into him, making his body convulse, but his expression was completely unfazed.

Xarki sighed and placed her fingers to her forehead. "Zexion, please, for the love of…can you just get out?"

"What are you doing here so late, anyway?" Larxene stopped trying to move the silver-haired Nobody. "I bet you wanted to watch her while she slept, didn't you. I always knew you were a creepy little pervert! Makes me wonder exactly what kind of stuff your always reading, huh?"

"Now, now, there's no need to talk about such obscene things. I suppose I'll bid you both goodnight, then," Zexion brushed himself off and stood up.  
"Xarki, I'm sure we'll have a chance to talk tomorrow. Larxene…a pleasure as always," Zexion left in a Corridor of Darkness.

Xarki thought that was odd because he usually left through the bedroom door. _Larxene must have made feel pretty awkward. He was so quick to leave._Xarki smiled deviously to herself. Larxene broke the short silence with a sigh of relief.

"_Finally. _That took way too much effort," she flopped down on Xarki's bed, stretching her arms across it.

"Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Xarki walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

Larxene looked up at her, "Oh nothing, really. I don't feel like sleeping just yet, so I figured I'd just come and chat with you!"

"What is there to chat about?"

Larxene sprung up from her lying position and sat cross-legged on the top sheet.  
"Shoes? Make-up? Boys?" she suggested.

"Shoes and make-up aren't exactly interests of mine. But…" Xarki giggled to herself.  
"A little birdie told me you have a crush on Axel."

Larxene couldn't hide a giggle as well. "Well, come on. You gotta admit, he's pretty damn hot."

That made Xarki laugh and she covered her mouth so that it couldn't be heard by any of the other members who were only a couple of rooms away.

"Well, I'm right, aren't I?" Larxene pressed.

Xarki was still giggling as she pictured Axel's face in her mind. His eyes were pretty, she could admit that much.  
"He's a little too old for me," she finally decided.

Larxene found that very amusing.  
"So, do _you_ have a crush on anyone?" she asked Xarki.

Xarki sighed absent-mindedly as she finally stopped laughing. She smiled to herself as she mused over Larxene's question. _Do I have a crush on anyone? _She was a little surprised when an image of Roka appeared in her mind. His soft blue eyes, his sweet smile. But still, she couldn't quite picture him in that kind of way.

"Well, not really. I mean, I have a guy _friend_, but I think that's all I want him to be," Xarki smiled.

Larxene gasped in excitement. "Go on, tell me all about him!"

Xarki laughed quietly, "His name's Roka. He's been one of my very best friends since, like, forever. He's so sweet and he's always there when I need him. He's perfect."

"Then there's no doubt about it! You're going to be together! Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Larxene leaned forward to hug Xarki.

"That's gonna be kind of hard considering the fact that it's physically impossible for me to love him," she reminded Larxene.

"But you will when you get a heart! Just you wait," Larxene laughed and she let go of Xarki and sat down on the bed again.

"If you say so," Xarki decided to just go along with what Larxene was saying, even though she didn't agree with it. She suddenly wanted to confess to Larxene that she actually had a heart, but she reminded herself that she needed to keep it a secret for as long as she could. Although it seemed as though she could trust her, she still had to be careful.

Larxene leaned over again and ruffled Xarki's purple hair. Then she pushed herself off the bed and took a couple of steps towards the door.  
"Well, all this talking and stuff has made me pretty tired. I think I'll head off to bed now," she said with a yawn.

The yawn quickly found its way to Xarki and she let it out slowly, covering her mouth. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, "Alright, goodnight, Larxene."

Larxene strutted to the bedroom door and opened it. But before she left, she paused and looked back at Xarki over her shoulder.  
"Hey…I can call you my friend, can't I?" she asked suddenly.

Xarki blinked, "Well sure, if I can call you mine?"

Larxene laughed and nodded. "Of course! Well, goodnight, Xar!" she turned and stepped outside the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

Xarki smiled to herself as she pushed back the covers, ready to climb into bed. She looked up quickly when her door opened again. Larxene popped her head around the corner.

"Axel is really hot. Just saying," she whispered as she flicked the light off and closed the door again.


	5. Roxas

**~Day 4 & 5~**

-Xarki's Diary-

_The past two days have been reasonably uneventful. I've gone on missions to Twilight Town and Wonderland to defeat Heartless and collect hearts and I tackle two or three missions a day_. _Although it's a strange world (to say the least), I was actually quite glad to visit Wonderland again. It was nice to be somewhere I found familiar._

_I've become quite close with Larxene and we spend every spare moment we have talking in my room, sharing our dreams and our secrets. I've also gotten quite used to having Zexion around. Whenever he asks me to tell him how I got a heart, I just say 'even if I did tell you, it wouldn't really help you. I'm kind of a special case.' I find ways to make casual conversation with him instead. I'm not really sure how it happened, but I ended up telling him pretty much my whole backstory and all about the adventure I had with King Mickey. Zexion listened with what seemed like genuine interest. In turn, he told me about his past life, back when he was called Ienzo and lived in a world called Radiant Garden. The conversations we have are actually quite enjoyable. I don't really like to admit that, though. He's still a creep._

_But still, I can't help but feel homesick and although the other members are usually quite nice to me, they aren't good enough to replace Tsuki and Roka. I get tired really easily now, too. I think all the darkness in my heart is finally taking its toll._

**~Day 6~**

Xarki kicked her legs rhythmically as a warm summer breeze surrounded the clock tower which she was sitting on. With her eyes closed, she tilted her head back and let the warm air touch her face. She found herself thinking about Sora. Xarki couldn't picture the boy's face as she had only seen him from behind in visions she used to have. Those three friends watching the sunset together on the other side of Destiny Islands. Everything about them mirrored Xarki's life on the dark side of the islands. While in her world where two girls and a boy got up early to watch the sun rise on a swing they had made themselves, two boys and a girl stayed up late to watch the sun set on a tree bearing star-shaped fruit in a parallel world.

Xarki wondered what Sora was doing right at that moment. Did he find his friends? Did they get to go home? Just forget about everything that happened and just…live normal lives? Xarki wished that wasn't the case. She knew that she was horrible for thinking that, but she genuinely wished that Sora didn't get a happily ever after that easily. Maybe he had worked for it a lot harder than Xarki had, but he hadn't suffered the great loss that she had experienced. Her best friend had _died._ She had to leave the boy she deeply cared about behind as she disappeared and ceased to exist. And now Xarki was trapped in an in-between world, waiting for Kingdom Hearts to reward her with her freedom.

With her face still exposed to the orange sky above her, she surrendered to the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, letting them slide down her cheeks; some falling from her chin, others travelling to her neck and chest. She let in a long gasp, opening her watery eyes for a second before shutting them tight, letting out a long, shaky breath. She felt like she had been nailed on the spot and she couldn't move any part of her body. Xarki wished she could just run away to a happy place, but she was too weak to go anywhere. Too drained.

"Come on, keep up, Roxas!"

Xarki barely heard the voice behind her.

"Ah, here we are…huh? Xarki? That you?"

Xarki came to, gasping as she pulled her black hood over her head to hide the tear stains on her face. Now completely shrouded, she looked over her shoulder to see who had approached.

Axel looked at her with his head titled at a questioning angle. "You okay? For a second there, it almost looked like you were-"

"I'm fine," Xarki interrupted him quickly.

She pulled her legs up and sat facing Axel, now able to see a blank-faced Roxas standing behind him.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck, "Not to be rude or anything, but this is kinda a little hideout I share with Roxas, so…"

Xarki was confused and first, but then she quickly understood.  
"Oh, of course. Sorry," she said apologetically.

Axel laughed quietly as Xarki stood up. Taking a few steps forward, she got a good look at Roxas' face. They had the same job, but they hadn't spoken properly yet. She hadn't even bothered to attend his welcoming ceremony, which Xemnas and Saïx were not impressed with at all.

Sora's Nobody.

Did he get his heart back when Sora obtained his? But how could that work? Kira and Xarki were now the same person, but somehow, Sora and Roxas were able to co-exist.  
Xarki was thrown out of her thought and gasped suddenly when Roxas' face started to change. She stared at it as it happened quickly in front of her. Roxas' hair turned brown and spiked more outwards rather than upwards. His skin was darker, as well. Although Xarki had never seen Sora's face before, something told her that this was what it looked like.  
Suddenly, Xarki saw bright lights in her vision and it felt like something had a tight grip on her heart. The Nobody kept changing from Sora to Roxas at lightning speed and Xarki became dizzy, taking a few uneasy steps backwards. She caught a glimpse of Axel who seemed more concerned for her than he was for Roxas. He was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear what it was. She realised that she was the only one who could see Roxas change.

"Xarki, what's the matter?" she could finally hear Axel's voice.

Xarki kept walking backwards, trying to get away from the visions and the painful feeling inside her. By the time her back hit the terrace around the clock tower, even though Axel lunged forward with an outstretched hand, it was already too late. Xarki's back arched over the edge, her feet lifted out beneath her and she fell with a throaty scream. As Roxas stood there like a zombie, Axel leaned over the terrace and quickly extended a hand and flexed his fingers to summon a Corridor of Darkness directly beneath her. She fell into it, clutching her head in pain, and disappeared.

...

Falling out of the portal and onto her bedroom floor, Xarki lay there on her side for a moment as she caught her breath. Her hood was still pulled all the way over her head. She could feel tears biting at her emotions again as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. It wasn't just that experience that had shaken her up. It was just…everything. She just couldn't handle it anymore. Her reborn heart of pure darkness wasn't strong enough to cope. As much as she hated to admit defeat, she desperately needed someone to turn to.

With her legs moving on their own accord, she found herself walking to Larxene's room. She knocked on the door a couple of times before she heard a muffled "What do you want" on the other side. Xarki clutched the handle and slowly opened the door.

Seeing the hooded Nobody, Larxene sat up on her bed and glared angrily.  
"What do you want!" she repeated with more demand in her voice this time.

Xarki pulled her hood back and let it fall behind her, staring at Larxene with teary eyes.

"Xarki?" Larxene's expression softened immediately and then turned into one of shock as she saw tears run down the young girl's face.

Xarki turned to close the door behind herand then walked briskly towards Larxene's bed with her head down low. Stopping in front of her, Xarki looked up slowly to make eye-contact with the blonde.

"Xarki…how are you..?" Larxene stuttered in disbelief.

Xarki's words caught in her throat, but she eventually forced them out. "I…I have a heart."

Larxene gasped, throwing her hands to her mouth, eyes growing wider.  
"But…how?!" Larxene's voice was muffled and high-pitched behind her gloves.

As Xarki sat on the end of the bed, she began to explain her theory on how she had come to obtain a heart. Larxene listened intently with her back against the wall and her knees tucked up to her chin. When Xarki had finished, Larxene sat there staring at empty space as she took it all in. The silence lasted a few moments before the blonde finally made eye-contact with Xarki who was still drying tears from her own eyes.

"You have to leave," she said, finally.

Xarki was a little shocked to hear that.  
"What?" she whispered.

"No, I mean you've got to _escape! _You've got to go home and be with your friends where you belong!" Larxene's expression was now very serious.

Now realising that Larxene was trying to help her, Xarki started thinking realistically.  
"I can't. Xemnas would just have me hunted down and captured," she sighed.

Larxene made her gloved hand into a determined fist, "I won't let that happen. I'll hold them off if I have to. I promise, I'll make sure you're safe."

Xarki stared at her with parted lips, not knowing what to say or even think. _Could I do it? Would it really be that easy to just walk away from this world? Where would I go? I can't go home yet. Not in the state I am now. And I still need to find Tsuki, or at least her Nobody. Then we can go home together._

Xarki started crying again; full on sobbing. Almost instinctively, Larxene reached forward and pulled her into a motherly hug. She held the crying girl to her chest as she clutched her tightly. Not being great with comforting words, she sat there in silence with her cheek rested on Xarki's head. Xarki grasped at Larxene's coat and sobbed.

"I just want this to end! I want to be with my friends! I want to see Tsuki! I want to see Roka! I just want to go home!"

Larxene hugged her even tighter, almost feeling a little sadness at seeing her friend in this state.

"I want to go home!" Xarki screamed into Larxene's chest.

...

Xarki had become so exhausted, she ended up crying herself to sleep in Larxene's arms after about ten minutes of sobbing into the Nobody's chest. Larxene figured that Xarki would have a better rest in her own bed, so with one arm holding Xarki's legs and the other supporting her head, she carried the sleeping girl back to her room.

As she pulled the covers up to Xarki's shoulders, she stared down sadly at her friend. As she was trying to work through the confusing emotions that she could no longer deny she was feeling, she was interrupted by Xarki's door opening. Zexion had arrived right on cue.

"Oh, good to see you again, Lar-"

"Shut up, she's sleeping!" Larxene whispered fiercely.

Zexion tilted his head slightly, "Has she had a rough day?"

"Yes, and she doesn't need you making it any worse!"

"Fine, I'll leave," Zexion smiled as he stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Larxene glared at the space where Zexion had been standing before turning to give Xarki one last look before disappearing in a Dark Corridor.

Almost immediately after Larxene's Corridor vanished, Zexion appeared in Xarki's room once again in his own portal. He walked slowly towards the bed and stared down at the purple-haired girl for a while.

"What are you dreaming about?" he said to himself in a hushed voice.

He gingerly placed his fingers near Xarki's face and parted her fringe so that her closed eyes could be seen. Her sleeping expression looked restless and depressed.

"Escape from your nightmares. You have nothing to worry about," he whispered in a gentle tone.

He ran his gloved hand slowly down Xarki's cheek. Using his power over illusions, he sent a dream into her mind. A dream where she was home on her island, surrounded by all her friends; where everything was okay. After a few seconds, a small smile began to grow on Xarki's face and she looked more relaxed in her sleep.

"You can be happy now, Xarki," Zexion stroked her hair slowly.

He didn't know why he wished happiness for her. But his wish was genuine and he didn't try to question it. Seeing Xarki's contented expression made a tiny smile appear on his face. He didn't question that either. He just let it happen.

"Sleep well, Xarki."

He ran his hand over her head one more time before disappearing in a Corridor of Darkness.


	6. I'll See You Again

**~Day 7~**

"Xar, come on, wake up," the sound of Larxene's voice echoed through Xarki's mind as left the world of sleep.

She blinked her eyes open and rubbed them as her friend came in and out of focus through her blurred vision.  
"Morning," Xarki said in a husky voice as she pushed herself up and stretched.

"Did you sleep alright?" Larxene asked in a sympathetic tone.

Xarki rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah I did, actually."

Larxene smiled and breathed a quiet sigh. "That's good. I convinced Saïx to get us paired up for a mission today in Twilight Town. We'll figure out where you're gonna go next from there."

Xarki wasn't sure what Larxene was talking about at first; her brain was still waking up from its peaceful rest. But after a few seconds, she finally understood.  
"You're helping me escape…today?"

"Of course! We can't waste any time, right?" Larxene extended a hand and helped Xarki get out of bed.

"But I…I don't know if…" Xarki couldn't even process her own thoughts.

"What is it? You're not saying you want to stay here, do you?" Larxene sounded concerned.

"It just seems you're finding it a little too easy to get rid of me," Xarki said.

"No! God no! I mean…it's killing me inside that I'll have to say goodbye to you! But…knowing that you'll be safe and away from this horrible place with these horrible people is all that matters to me right now," Larxene assured her.

Xarki could hardly believe any of this way happening. She'd pushed herself to get used to this new environment for a whole week now. Even though she had been crying about how badly she wanted to leave just the night before, the fact that it was actually happening was a terrifying thought. But she managed to pull herself together and gave Larxene a determined nod.  
"Alright. You can wait for me in the Round Room if you want, I just need a little more time to get ready."

As soon as Larxene had gone, Xarki threw open her bedroom door and sprinted down the hall, past the other member's bedrooms. There were no numbers or name plates on the doors, so she had to work on in her head which one was which by numbering each room in her head. Her bedroom was number 14, then there was number 13, number 12, 11, 10, 9…  
She stopped at the 6th door, grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open. Just as she'd hoped, Zexion was still there. He hadn't left for his mission yet; he was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a book. Probably procrastinating.

"Zexion…I need…to talk to you!" Xarki had become breathless from running and using up adrenaline.

Zexion looked up slowly from his hard cover and lowered it to rest it on his knee. He greeted her with his usual smile.  
"Xarki, what brings you here so early? Or more accurately, what brings you here at _all_?"

Xarki turned and closed the door behind her.  
"I'm going to tell you," she said as she finally stopped panting.

"Hm? Tell me what?"

"You know! The thing you've been trying to get me to tell you since, like, the first day I got here!"

Zexion stared at her with a blank expression.

"How I got my heart back?" Xarki pressed.

"Oh, that!" Zexion laughed.

"Yes, that! So are you ready to hear it?" Xarki smiled as she started to walk towards him.

Zexion placed the book beside him on his bed and stood up. "Oh, you don't have to tell me. I've lost all interest in knowing, actually."

Xarki stopped walking and froze completely, her mouth open slightly.

"WHAT?! After all that…! No, I am _going _to tell you! And you are gonna sit there and listen!" she marched towards him in hard stomps.

Zexion breathed a laugh and placed a hand on Xarki's shoulder once she was close enough to him. "It's okay, Xarki. I realised something important yesterday…it's difficult to explain, but I now know that I don't need to worry about getting my heart back. Of course, I can't tell the Organization that. I'll just have to lie and go along with Xemnas' plans to complete Kingdom Hearts for as long as I need to. But obtaining a heart will be a much lesser goal to me, now."

Xarki was completely confused. "I don't…what are you talking about?"

"And besides, you're always saying that the way you came to get your heart back wouldn't help me anyway, right? So there really isn't any need to tell me," Zexion smiled.

"Well, yeah but-"

"Wait, why were you so suddenly determined to tell me _now _after spending so long being stubborn and refusing to even talk about it at all?" Zexion suddenly realised that Xarki's outburst had been quite strangely out of the blue.

Xarki opened her mouth to say something, but quickly realised she had no reply. She felt an unexpected lump in her throat. Xarki knew that she would probably never see Zexion again, and although he had been rude and moderately creepy at times, she had somehow allowed herself to get quite attached to the older teen. She had originally planned to tell him her secret as a kind of parting gift, but that had backfired on her completely.  
"Well, you've earned my trust, that's all," she said finally.

Zexion stayed silent as he thought for a second. "Who would have guessed? Hard work and perseverance really does pay off in the end," he laughed quietly to himself.

Xarki nodded slowly and absently; her mind was completely blank. Zexion waited patiently for her to say something. Realising that she was being quite awkward, Xarki laughed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, I…I guess that's all I came to say! I've got a mission to get to, so I should probably be off now," she forced a smile.  
She turned as she was about to leave, but a sudden urge compelled her to stay. She couldn't leave just yet. Not without…

"Goodbye, Zexion."

She turned again quickly to face Zexion and threw herself into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. He wasn't very tall, but neither was she, and so her face was able to lean into his chest; the part that wasn't covered by his coat. His warm, smooth skin felt nice on her cheek and she closed her eyes and smiled sadly.

Zexion slowly lifted his arms to wrap them around Xarki's waist and held her close to him as well, lightly placing his chin on top of her head. _I don't need a heart to feel, _he thought to himself. _Or maybe…just maybe…I've had a heart all along. Either way, thank you Xarki. Thank you for helping me to feel again._

He raised a hand to the back of her head and stroked her hair, just as he'd done the night before. Her short purple curls felt so soft under his gloved hand.  
"I won't be seeing you for a while, huh?" he said in a low voice.

"How…did you know…?" Xarki spoke without lifting her face from Zexion's chest.

Zexion was still slowly stroking her hair. "Long goodbye's like these are reserved for when someone is going away for a very long time. It wasn't too hard to assume…"

He felt Xarki's hand grip the back of his coat tightly. He suddenly felt something wet on his bare skin and quickly realised that she was crying.

"Wherever you're going, Kira…do your best to keep smiling."

Xarki's eyes opened quickly as Zexion's words etched themselves into her mind. Hearing her true name again after what had seemed like an eternity had a powerful effect on her. She slowly lifted her head and made eye contact with the silver-haired boy. Zexion stared into Xarki's wide amber eyes and smiled warmly.

"It's a pretty name, you should wear it with pride," he told her.

Xarki looked away, turning her head slightly. "That's not who I am anymore."  
But then she smiled and looked back into Zexion's blue eye; the one that wasn't covered by his long fringe.  
"But I will be, soon."

Zexion shared the smile with her and took his hand off the back of her head, placing in on her cheek.  
"You will keep smiling for me, won't you?" he whispered softly.

Xarki exhaled slowly as she nodded.  
"I'll do my best."

Zexion breathed a final laugh before placing his hand under her small chin. He gently tilted her face up. Then he took his other hand from her waist and used it to push her fringe to both sides. Closing his eyes as he leaned down. He placed his lips on her forehead and held them there in a long kiss.

Xarki stood there with her eyes open and her arms limp at her sides; her heart was fluttering in shock, but also in happiness.

...

Her footsteps were slow as Xarki dragged her feet along the floor as she entered the Round Room. She looked up at Larxene and smiled.

"Alright, I'm ready."

"There you are! Okay, let's go then," Larxene opened a Corridor of Darkness.

"Wait, just one last thing," Xarki ran up to Axel and Xigbar who were standing by the windows, talking to each other.

Axel gave a small gasp as she approached. "Xarki! I'm glad you're okay, that was a pretty big fall you had yesterday."

"Yeah, I'm alright. It was nothing, really," Xarki forced a grin.

"That's a relief," Axel rubbed the back of his head.

_He's not being nosy and asking me why I freaked out and fell in the first place. That's actually quite nice of him._

"So, uh, I just wanted to tell you guys something!" she tried to hide her nervousness.

"Go ahead, I'm all ears," Xigbar put a hand on his hip.

"Well...Xigbar! I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but I look up to you! You're awesome, okay!" Xarki said the whole thing in one breath and as fast as she could, so most of her words ended up running together.

But Xigbar understood what she was saying, all the same. "Well, geez, that's a little out of the blue. But thanks, I guess. You're alright, kid."

Xigbar lightly placed a gloved fist on Xarki's head.

"A-and, Axel?" Xarki turned to look at the red-head.

"Um, yes?" After hearing the sudden outburst she'd just directed at Xigbar, Axel had no idea what expect.

"Y-you're really cool! Well, technically you're really hot...but in the literal sense! Not in that kind of way! Cos, yknow, you control fire and stuff..." Xarki blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Axel laughed awkwardly and ruffled Xarki's hair. "Don't worry, I get what you're trying to say. You're pretty cool, too."

Xarki blushed even more, but she did her best to smile. She forced a giggle as she turned to leave through the Dark Corridor. Larxene, who had been waiting for Xarki in much amusement gave Axel a cute wink as she disappeared through the darkness.

Xarki turned and looked at the two Nobodies over her shoulder. "Well, I'll see you!"

"Later, Chatterbox."

"See ya, Xarki."

...

**Twilight Town**

The two friends stood facing each other in the Tram Common; Xarki had her head lowered and Larxene was staring off into the distance. They had known each other for a whole week now, but even though 7 days was hardly any time at all, somehow it had been enough for the two of them to form a strong friendship. Xarki knew this was goodbye, but she could hardly bring herself to say it. She wanted to be free from the in-between world in which she had been trapped in, and yet she wanted these last moments she had with Larxene to last forever.

"So...should we go and take out that giant Heartless? I think it's supposed to be in the Sandlot, or something," Xarki didn't take her eyes off the ground as she spoke.

Larxene kept her gaze locked on empty space, "No, it's alright. I'll take care of it."

"Oh. Okay, then."

There was silence. A sad silence that wrenched at Xarki's dark heart until Larxene finally spoke up again.  
"Do you know where you're gonna go from here?"

"There's this guy who lives in an abandoned mansion just past those woods. I think he might be able to help me out,"Xarki was still speaking to the ground.

"I'm going to miss you, Xar," Larxene suddenly looked down at her friend.

Xarki slowly lifted her eyes to meet Larxene's.  
"I'm gonna see you again, though. Right?"

Larxene felt a bitter lump in her throat and see didn't know how to make it go away, so she just stood there for a few seconds as she tried to push the words out.  
"Of course. I know we'll see each other again some day."

Xarki felt the same feeling in her own throat and she swallowed hard. But that only made tears form in her eyes. She lowered her head again and walked quickly towards Larxene, wrapping her arms around her in a warm hug.  
"Don't forget about me, okay?" she croaked.

Larxene hugged back even tighter, "'Course not! You're my friend, remember," she tried to sound cheerful, but her voice was just as raspy.

Xarki slowly pulled back and looked at her friend, staring deep into her pretty turquoise eyes. Larxene looked away, suddenly; a distant look on her face.

"Xarki...I need to prepare you for something. I'm sure you've figured out that Organization XIII is pretty ruthless. Xemnas is planning to do some pretty bad things to good people. I'm...going to be a part of that plan."

"What are you going to have to do?" Xarki sounded worried.

"I'm...probably going to have to go after Sora," Larxene said hesitantly.

Xarki's eyes widened, "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"I'll taunt him...toss him around a bit, maybe...but no, I'm not going to try and kill him."

Xarki breathed a small sigh of relief, but her expression quickly turned into one of corcern.  
"But what if you end up getting into a fight that you can't get out of? Sora's not exactly a push-over. At least, not from what I've heard."

Larxene laughed, "Nah, I'll be fine. I'll have a little fun with him, and then I'll high-tail it outta there as fast as lightning!"

"Just be careful, okay?" Xarki smiled.

"I will. Just as long as you promise to stay tough for me, kay?" Larxene pulled her friend in for one last hug.

_Keep smiling...stay tough. The last promises I'll make to Zexion and Larxene. No matter what happens, I have to do my best to keep those promises._

"No problem, I'm always tough," Xarki hugged back.

Larxene let her go and patted her head affectionately, smiling warmly. Xarki closed her eyes and smiled back, fighting back the tears in the corners of her eyes.  
Taking a couple of backwards steps, Xarki waved.

"See ya, buddy~" she sang as she turned and ran.

Larxene watched Xarki disappear through the opening in the wall and run into the woods. She breathed out slowly and closed her eyes, trying to control the painful emotions inside of her.  
"Good luck, Xarki."

As she turned to head towards the Sandlot, she came face to face with a hooded figure that she ended up slamming right into. Taking a quick step back, she looked up to glare at whoever had got in her way and Zexion's gaze met hers. Her anger turned into fear and she swallowed hard.

"My, your goodbye with Xarki was quite formal," Zexion pulled his hood back, revealing his face. "You were acting like you were never going to see each other again."

Larxene shuffled back a few more steps. "Please...please, Zexion. You can't tell Xemnas. She doesn't belong here, she has to leave. She has to go home. She-"

"Larxene, I know all about her. I know that she has a heart. And I have no intention of going after her or alerting the Superior," Zexion spoke in a calm manner.

The fear in Larxene's expression morphed into one of confusion, then into one of suspicion. "You're serious? But...why?"

"I want to help her just as much as you do," Zexion replied.

Larxene just stared at him with a very unsure look on her face.

"It's the truth. I only want Xarki to be happy," the Schemer insisted.

After pausing for a while, thinking it over, Larxene finally nodded that she believed him.

Zexion breathed an absent-minded laugh, "It's going to be a little lonely here without her."

Larxene put on a smirk, "And it's going to suck not having anything to get excited about or having anyone I actually want to be nice to. I'll have to go back to being my usual bitchy self."

"And my, that's going to be bundles of fun for everyone," Zexion shared the smirk as he turned and started walking away.

Larxene hurried to catch up, "Hey, where are you going?"

"Well, there's still a giant Heartless around here somewhere that needs destroying. I thought I might go and help finish Xarki's mission for her. Are you in?" Zexion spoke with a small smile and without taking his eyes off the path ahead of him.

Larxene was silent; the comment he'd made gave her a bittersweet feeling inside. She decided to push it away.  
"Bet I can take the Heartless down first."

That made Zexion turn to look at Larxene. He coughed in disbelief.  
"I would have much pleasure in watching you try."

"Just try and keep up, Schemer!"

Larxene started to sprint down the tram tracks. Zexion gave a small 'hmph' as he jogged after her.

"But remember...I'm lightning fast!"

Larxene looked over her shoulder and beamed a cheeky grin at Zexion. He ran slow to let Larxene sprint ahead of him. After all, she absolutely hated to lose. And no one likes Larxene when she's in a foul mood.

...

It seemed to take forever before Xarki finally climbed the last step to the second floor of the mansion. She chose a door at random and ended up finding herself in a small library. It didn't take very long at all to notice that half of the floor was missing and opened up into a room below. Xarki jumped into it, ignoring the fact that there were stairs right next to her. Landing on her feet, she ran into the next room.  
She recognised it immediately. She recognised it even more so when she saw DiZ there, sitting at his computer as usual. Hearing Xarki approach, he turned in his chair and greeted her with a surprised expression.

"Ki-?"

"Xarki," she quickly corrected him.

"A Nobody?" DiZ seemed to be talking to himself.

"No, not anymore. I have a heart, but only half of one," Xarki explained.

"And where is the other half?"

_We haven't even actually said 'hello' to each other yet. DiZ really tries to avoid small talk, doesn't he... Oh well, I guess it'd be kinda pointless, anyway. I hardly even know him, after all._

"Roka should still have it. And wait, how come you don't know any of this? The last time I saw you, you'd been spying on my every move," Xarki suddenly realised.

DiZ leaned back in his chair a little way. "I'll admit, my study of you and your friends ended after our last visit. You will have to help me understand your current situation."

So Xarki recounted every important detail from how she lost her heart to the reason why she was there at that very moment. DiZ listened with great interest.  
When she finished, he stood up and smiled through his red bandages.  
"There are bedrooms downstairs. Choose one if you like and make yourself at home."

"Really? I can stay here?"  
Xarki had only sought DiZ out to get his advice, but she never considered actually living there at the mansion. But now, as she thought about it, it was the obvious thing to do.

"You're more than welcome to," DiZ brought her out of her thoughts. "As long as you don't mind being by yourself for a while."

Xarki made a confused 'hm?' sound as DiZ stood up slowly. Xarki figured that his heavy clothes would have been quite a burden at times.  
"I'm going away for a few days. There are some important matters that I need to take care of. I'm leaving right now, actually."

Xarki wasn't really sure she liked the idea of being alone in that abandoned mansion, but she didn't have much of a choice. "Yeah, that's no problem. Thank you so much, sir," she smiled gratefully.

DiZ nodded and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.

...

After leaving the library and going back down stairs, Xarki explored the whole ground floor. She had no luck in finding the bedrooms, however. Just the dining room on the left side and, once she had pushed away the furniture blocking the door, she found a hallway on the right side. The hallway only had two doors. She found a bathroom behind one of them. Xarki had a sudden urge to take a bath, but then decided against it. She really couldn't be bothered.  
When she tried the second door at the end of the hall, she stopped short when it opened up into darkness. Looking down, she realised that there were steps leading down to another door. Xarki stepped down the steep stairs cautiously and opened the door slowly, as if she was afraid that a monster would jump out at her. But all that was behind it was another hallway. It was a dead end, but there were once again two doors; one on each wall. Making a more careful decision this time, Xarki chose the one on the left. She clutched the doorknob and turned, opening the door into a dim room. She managed to find a light switch and flicked it down with one finger. As the whole room lit up, Xarki breathed a sigh of relief to realise that she had found one of the bedrooms. The floor was wooden and the walls were bare and were painted a similar shade of brown. There was a double bed placed against the far left corner of the room and a single bed on the right wall.

Xarki walked across the hard floor until she was standing in front of a red wardrobe. She pulled open one of its doors with one hand while she simultaneously slipped her free arm out of her black coat. Swinging the other arm out, she lifted the coat up by the shoulders and hung it on one of the coat-hangers. She closed the wardrobe again and looked down at her clothes. Her green and blue vest, her dark blue shirt and matching shorts. She'd missed them a lot more than she realised. Xarki looked much like her old self now, but she knew that she still had to wait a little longer before she could call herself Kira once again.

Even though she had only woken up just over two hours ago, she was already getting tired. It had been getting worse with each day that passed; she exhausted herself more and more easily. Rubbing her forehead with her white fingerless glove, she took her black sneakers off and pulled back the white sheets on the double bed, climbing into it. She let her head sink into the pillow. Xarki fell asleep within a few seconds.


	7. My Light Will Reach Him

**Destiny Islands**

"Kira... ...Kira... ...Is that you, Kira...?"

_That voice...where am I? I should be dreaming, but I feel completely awake. Why is everything so...white?_

"Kira, can you hear me?"

"Tsuki?"

"Kira! I just knew it was your presence I felt."

_It's Tsuki. It's really her. I can't see her, though. I can't seem to open my eyes at all. Yet, somehow, there isn't a speck of darkness in sight._

"Tsuki, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Kira."

"But...where is 'here'?"

"We're inside our lights. In the dolls we left with Roka."

"Are we with him right now?"

"Yes. He's carrying us both to the Secret Place."

_I'm home. With Tsuki and Roka. _

"How is this even happening?"

"I think that when my Nobody fell asleep, all the darkness that filled up the empty body eventually became too much for it. It ended up forcing my very conscious mind out of it. I ended up finding my way to the next best vessel for me, that being my doll where my light is. I'm guessing the same thing happened to you."

"So I'm not the real me...I'm just my mind? Wait no, that doesn't make sense."

_I mean, you can't say that the 'you' that other people see and interact with, the body, is any more the 'real' you than the voice you hear inside your head or the feelings you feel in your heart. Or can you? Now I'm even more confused._

"Tsuki, where are you?"

"I'm here, Kira, I'm right here."

"No, that's not what I meant. Where would I have to look if I wanted to see you?"

"Well, I'm pretty much right where you left me. You can find my Nobody sleeping in a room in the castle at Hollow Bastion."

"I'm sleeping, too. In a mansion in a place called Twilight Town."

"Alright, well come on then. Let's go take Roka to you so he can wake you up."

"But...how can we do that?"

"Don't worry, I know a way. I've been watching Roka for the past week now and I've seen how our lights have been making him stronger, just like we wanted. He hasn't shed a single tear since the day he returned to the island."

"Really? Wow, that's so brave of him. Are you sure it's okay to take the lights away from him now?"

"Well, it's important to keep Roka safe, but you're important too, Kira. Don't worry, Roka's going to be fine. It's good to cry, sometimes. And it's time to return your light now."

_And then I'll be the real Kira, again. A complete person._

"Then we'll wake you up too, right Tsuki? We'll get your heart back."

"I'm afraid I won't be returning to my body yet. Maybe not for a while. There's still someone that needs my heart's protection."

_There's only one other person I can think of._

"You don't mean..."

"Riku. He's got a tough journey ahead of him and he'll need all the help he can get. I'm going to stay in his heart and keep him safe."

"But why? I mean, after everything he did..."

"Even so, if something were to happen to him, that could make getting my heart back impossible. If I can do something to prevent that from happening, then there's no reason why I shouldn't, right?"

_It makes a lot more sense than I'd like it to. Damn you, Riku. Why do you have to be such an important part of my best friend?_

"Alright. I'll come and visit you anyway, okay?"

"Thank you. Hey, Kira?"

"Hm?"

"It's good to hear your voice again."

...

The dolls sitting side by side looked so happy together, it made Roka smile a little. He hadn't expected it to happen and in his surprise his expression turned to one of confusion. Then he felt sad, because the short-lived feeling of happiness had left him. Now back in his sombre mood, he knelt down from his crouching position and pushed Kira's doll closer to Tsuki's one. That was better. The two of them were best friends, after all. They should still stay close even after…

Death.

It wasn't a word Roka liked to think about.

Disappeared was better. Or faded. Or even just missing. Death seemed too definite. But Kira and Tsuki weren't gone forever. There was still a chance of getting them back and Roka planned to wait for as long as it took until that day came. But for now, he just had to keep the little dolls in a safe place, ready to send the light held inside them back to Kira and Tsuki's hearts.

A horrible feeling welling up in his chest reminded him that it could take months, even years, before someone came to get him. Whether it was going to be that strange man DiZ or the two Nobodies themselves, Roka wasn't quite sure.

"I'll leave you here from now on, okay?" he murmured softly to the dolls.

The echo of his voice reminded him that he was talking to himself and he lowered his head, closing his eyes sadly.

_Please…just come home soon._

He barely even felt the soft hand on his shoulder.

After a few seconds, he finally became aware of it and dragged his head to look over his shoulder. Roka's half-closed eyes opened as wide as physically possible and he drew in a silent gasp. A glowing and almost transparent figure of Tsuki was kneeling on the ground right behind him, wearing white bandages around her chest, waist and arms and a long white skirt. A smile adorned her beautiful face and her features were blushing with light.

As Roka's lips parted to breathe his friend's name, he felt another pair of hands on his other shoulder. He spun around more quickly this time and let out a louder gasp when he saw who was there. Kira's shining image beamed a smile brighter than the sun and threw her arms around Roka from behind. He caught a glimpse of the long white dress she was wearing and the bandages around her upper arms. Tsuki moved forward and sat beside him, taking his hand in hers.

Roka's lips trembled as he became overwhelmed with every emotion possible. "I'm dreaming…" he whispered as a tear travelled down his cheek.

Kira was pressed up against his back as she held his waist tightly. She rested her chin on his shoulder.  
"Will you come wake me up now? I'm waiting for you," she whispered.

"You mean...I can see you again now? And Tsuki?" Roka's voice sounded shaky, his whole body was completely frozen.

"You can see Kira again," Tsuki said, "But you'll have to wait just a little longer before you can see me."

Roka couldn't find anymore words to say. He was completely in shock and still trying to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming. Kira stood up and helped her blue-haired friend to his feet as well.

Tsuki pushed herself up and ran gracefully towards the open door, gesturing for Kira and Roka to follow her. Taking Roka's hand, Kira led him outside to where Tsuki was standing on the beach, the wind playing with her long ginger hair.  
"Are you ready, Roka?" she looked back at him over her shoulder and smiled.

"Where are we going?" Roka stood beside Tsuki.

Kira gripped his hand tightly and Tsuki took hold of the other one. Tsuki held her free hand out in front of her, her palm facing towards the horizon. Within a few seconds, a shining white portal appeared before them.

"It's time for me to wake up now," Kira laughed as she and Tsuki ran forward, pulling the three of them into the Corridor of Light.

...

Roka appeared in a large bedroom and quickly realised that the angel-like figures of his friends had disappeared. But he only had to glance quickly across the room to find the girl sleeping in a double bed with the covers pulled up to her chin. Roka sprinted across to the bed and looked down at the girl in front of him. _Kira... _Quickly realising what he had to do, he pulled the purple-haired doll out of his pocket and held it out towards his friend. He prayed with all his heart that what he was doing was going to work. As if the little doll was answering him, it started to glow with yellow and white light. Roka stared in wonder and hope as the light poured into the girl's chest.  
She woke up immediately, a dreamy look in her eyes. Sitting up slowly, the bed sheets fell from her shoulders, revealing her blue shirt and vest. She turned and looked at Roka, wearing a bright grin that she hadn't worn in a long time.

"You did it!" Kira almost cried with happiness as she leaped off the bed and into her friend's arms.

"Kira...Kira, you're alive," Roka was filled with relief and felt tears form in his own eyes.

"Thank you so much, Roka," Kira hugged him as tight as she could.

Having finally found some sanity amongst the craziness that had recently happened in her life, she never wanted to let him go.

**The World That Never Was**

"Twilight Town isn't exactly a big world, how do you expect us to believe that Xarki got _lost _in it?!" Xigbar threw a gloved fist onto the arm of his white chair.

The other Nobodies all gave Larxene the same suspicious looks.

"The story is rather unlikely," Saïx said matter-of-factly.

Larxene was breaking into a nervous sweat. "It's like I said. After we finished off the giant Heartless, another, more powerful, giant Heartless appeared and attacked us. I managed to get it to flee, but Xarki wanted to chase it down. I told her to forget about it and I ran after her, but she was too fast for me and I eventually lost sight of her."

Demyx made a surprised grunt, "You're telling us that the fastest Nobody in this room was outrun by a little girl?"

Larxene opened her mouth to answer, but then quickly realised that she didn't know how.

"I can vouch for her. I was there," Zexion spoke up.

Larxene sunk lower into her seat and silently thanked him for his help.

"And why were you with Larxene and not attending to your own mission?" Saïx pressed further into the interrogation.

"I tracked him down and made him come with me to help me find Xarki," Larxene quickly justified Zexion's actions for him.

"But even with the two of us looking, we found no sign of her. It's quite possible that she is no longer in Twilight Town at this point," Zexion concluded.

Everyone stayed silent for a moment.

"Lord Xemnas, how will we proceed with handling this matter?" Saïx turned to look at his superior.

"Hey, I'd be more than happy to look for Xarki myself in other worlds," Axel suggested.

"Same here," Xigbar joined in.

"That will not be necessary." Everyone's attention turned to their silver-haired leader. "One can almost be certain that Xarki does not wish for us to find her. I do not see the point in searching for something that is trying to hide from me. But no matter...I would hardly call this a loss. I only wish to have members in my Organization who are truly dedicated to our cause."

Larxene and Zexion gritted their teeth at Xemnas' words.

"Vexen. Do you have the replacement No. XIV ready?" Xemnas placed his emotionless gaze on the Nobody in the lowest seat.

The blonde man had a wild look in his eyes, "The experiment, No. i, is ready to be presented to you, my Lord."

...

Axel stood with his back pressed up against the Round Room's glass windows, his arms crossed over in chest as he was deep in thought. Roxas walked up to him slowly.

"Axel?" the boy woke the red-head from his daze.

"Yeah, what's up?" he tried to sound cheerful even though the days' events had got him pretty down.

"Where'd that girl go? The one we met on the clock tower."

The question surprised Axel a little. He realised that Roxas hadn't been invited to attend the meeting at Where Nothing Gathers, but still, Roxas had never shown much interest in their most recent member before.

"Xarki? Uh, she...she's..."

Roxas waited patiently for Axel to continue.

"She's, uh, not coming back."

"What? Never? How come?" Roxas seemed genuinely concerned.

Axel laughed awkwardly, "Well, she said something about wanting to get out and have some adventures by herself. But don't worry, she's a tough girl. She'll be alright."

"That's a shame. I was gonna ask her if she wanted to be friends," Roxas looked down sadly.

Axel patted the boy's shoulder a couple of times. "Hey, don't be so glum. You'll make other friends soon enough, just you wait. But for now, you'll just have to put up with me, alright?"

That made Roxas smile a little. "I hope that girl makes some friends, too. She'll be lonely all by herself."

**Radiant Garden ~Dark Side~**

"Yori, I'm home. Are you here?" Ikari pushed open the back door of her small house and stepped into the kitchen.

It didn't take her long to notice the rather conspicuous holes and stab marks streaked across the walls. The cause of the vicious attack, a long, thin, and very sharp kitchen knife, was sticking out of the door that led to the hallway. It had stabbed right through a note that Ikari had taped to it the last time she'd left the house.

_**Yori,**  
I'm going away again for a little while. Not sure when I'll be back, work's taking me pretty way away this time. But I'll try and get my deliveries done as fast as I can and get home soon.  
There should still be plenty of money for food and anything else you need, so don't worry about that.  
I'll see you when I see you.  
**Love, Ikari.**_

"Yori, it's me! Where are you?" Ikari was still anxiously scanning her eyes over the damaged walls.

As she took a few steps towards the hallways door, it opened suddenly, just a little way. Yori pushed it open from the other side and stood there looking at Ikari with a blank look in his blue eyes that were half covered by his white fringe.

"Welcome home, sis." the 16-year-old boy said in a low, sarcastic tone.

Ikari tried to ignore the bitterness in his voice and smiled brightly. "How have you been?" she asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"How does it look like I've been," her younger brother gestured to the violent attack he'd made on the walls.

Ikari cringed, avoiding Yori's cold gaze. He had always looked a little depressed whenever she'd return home after being away for long periods of time, leaving him all alone. But she had never seen him this low before.  
"I know it's hard sometimes. But if I don't keep working and earning money for us, how are we supposed to survive? We'll starve."

"You know, that doesn't sound too bad. I'd rather starve than spend another minute alone in this house. Especially with the kind of job you have."

Yori's words made Ikari's heart stop for a millisecond, but she tried to stay calm. "I just work for Arleen's dad's delivery service, you know that. He sends me to different worlds to-"

"I'm not an idiot, Ikari! I know that's a lie! I found all those swords you keep in the shed out back."

Ikari froze. "But...it was locked..."

"And you want to know something else I found out? I stopped by Arleen's house. Had a little talk with her dad."

Ikari felt sick.

"And he told me something very interesting. Guess what. Arleen has been _dead _for three years! Now...I'm only taking guesses here...but after seeing all the weapons you've been hiding...and the fact that you've never even mentioned to me that your best friend _died_...I can only assume that you-"

"_NO!_" Ikari leaned forward, covering her ears with her hands and closing her eyes.  
"_It was an accident!_"

"What do you do when you go away, Ikari?! Tell me the truth!" Yori screamed.

"It's not what you're thinking!" Tears ran down Ikari's face and fell to the floor.

Yori spun around, pulled the knife out of the door and aimed it at Ikari. "Tell me! _Now!_"

Ikari looked up at her brother. Her pupils were dilated and her lower lip was trembling.  
"I...I just help some shady guys out with taking down their enemies," she said, finally.

"So, if the people you're working with are bad...that means their enemies are the good guys?" Yori was quick at piecing the puzzle together.

"Yes." Ikari replied in defeat.

"You kill good people. I don't believe this..." Yori sighed and looked away; a very unpredictable look on his face.

"No, I don't usually kill them! I just knock them around a bit, that's all! The bad guys are always the ones to finish them off, though! I mean...I had to kill a couple of people this time, but it was just two people! And I feel horrible about it! I'm not a bad person, I promise!" Ikari hardly even understood the excuses that came pouring out if her mouth, and the more she stuttered, the more she knew she wasn't helping her case.

"Are you freaking _insane__?! _Listen to yourself, Ikari! You've _killed _people! You've taken innocent lives! _For money! _What kind of sick messed up _bitch _are you?!" Yori swiped the air with the knife in quick diagonal sweeps, overcome by anger and frustration.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." Ikari kept repeating those words over and over again in a small, shaky voice.

"I'm so lonely here! I have no friends! Everyone hates me! I get so angry all the time! I have no one to talk to! And all this time, I thought that _I _was the one with the problem! I've wanted to just disappear from this world forever," Yori pulled his long sleeve up, revealing scars streaking the skin on his lower arm.

Ikari stared at it, horrified.

"But now I see that the one with the problem is _you!_"  
Yori thrust the knife towards Ikari, stopping just before it stabbed her chest.

Yet somehow, Ikari still felt as though she'd been cut by it and gasped in pain. However, no blood was drawn. Yori swiped the air again and the same painful stinging sensation sliced across her chest. She fell off the chair and onto the floor, landing on her side as she clutched the place where it hurt.

Yori lowered the knife and looked down at Ikari. "You have this power too, don't you?" He gave Ikari an unforgiving look before taking a few steps towards the back door.

Ikari tried to look up at him, still shaking in pain. "Yori...d-don't leave..."

"Let's just make one thing clear," Yori opened the door, "You're not my sister anymore. You can forget about providing for your so-called family and just worry about yourself. Because from now on..." he stabbed the knife deep into the kitchen bench.  
"You're on your own."

The door slammed shut.

Tears fell onto the floor in streams as Ikari lay there, frozen in shock. She wrapped her arms around herself and lay there, shaking and whimpering.

_I'm not a bad person. Whenever I go out and do a job, I put on a fake personality. I shut off all feeling and block out my conscience. That way I can hurt people without feeling bad about it. I'd tell myself that I was happy about Arleen's death, even though I knew deep down that it wasn't true. And whenever I get paid at the end of a job, I figured that made it all worthwhile. Because that way, I'd know that I'd be able to take care of my little brother. Even if I couldn't see him very often, at least he'd be safe. And it's not like I could have found any other job. Everyone except Yori knew that I played a part in Arleen's death. Even if they didn't talk about it, it was obvious that everyone despised me. I figured that with my powers and everything, this was the only job for me._

_But still...I never stopped to consider the fact that I was putting his mental stability at risk...That he was shunned by the whole town because of how strange he'd become. I wasn't protecting him. I was ruining him. And I've ruined myself, too._

_That man I killed back in Traverse Town...that could have been anyone. He could have been a husband, a brother, a father...and I just took his life without giving it a second thought._

_The old Ikari wouldn't have done that._

_And then there was Tsuki. That poor girl who I deceived and managed to get close to, only to kill her when the time was right for some Organization's benefit. Why did I do it? What kind of person is even capable of standing there and watching the life drain out of someone's body, hearing their dying screams? Why did I turn into that sort of person?_

_Someone like me..._

_...doesn't even deserve to live._


	8. Sora

Kira and Roka stayed alone in the Twilight Town mansion for a few days, just talking and catching up. Though it sounded like a boring way to spend ones time in theory, it was the most fun that the two of them had had in a while. Although the two of them could have returned to the Destiny Islands at any point, they stayed, waiting for DiZ's return in hope that he could help them find Riku, where Tsuki's light was. They only left Twilight Town a couple of times to check on Tsuki's Nobody who was still sleeping in Hollow Bastion.

It was so peaceful and quiet in the mansion's basement and that's why it gave the two friends a decent shock when a Corridor of Darkness appeared in the bedroom. DiZ stood there and greeted them with a nod. "Kira, I am pleased to inform you that your Reverse is now here with us."

Kira pushed herself off the bed. "Sora's here?!"

"Something has happened to his memories and so he is currently in a deep sleep while we are fixing him."

"Who's 'we'?" Roka asked.

"The Nobody of your Reverse, Naminé, is here with me. Riku as well."

"Wait, Kairi lost her heart?"  
"Wait, Riku's here too?!"  
The two of them spoke in unison.

DiZ tried to answer both questions. "Kairi's heart has returned to her and she is safe in Destiny Islands. Riku is here to aid me in my efforts in helping his friend."

"Can we see him? We has something that we need," Kira made a determined fist.

DiZ gave her a questioning look, "And what would that be?"

Kira's expression was very serious. "Half of my best friend's heart."

...

Kira did her best to explain the situation to Riku, who she actually hadn't met until now, while Roka stood there looking like he might punch him in the face at any moment. When Kira asked Riku to come with them to Hollow Bastion, he simply shook his head. He barely looked fazed by Kira's explanation on Reverses and worlds within worlds at all.

"I'm staying here with Sora," he said.

"Riku, don't you even care that someone else's heart is _inside _you?" Kira was shocked.

A bit more shocked than Riku, apparently. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Kira started breathing heavily as she fell into a panic. "But Tsuki...she needs...you have to..."  
With a sigh, she collapsed to the floor.

Roka rushed to help her up, but Kira was too weak to stand at all.

"What's happening to her? She has her light now, she should be okay!" Roka wasn't sure who he was talking to.

"It's Sora," Naminé finally spoke up. "Not only is he sleeping, but his heart is half-asleep, too. It'll be affecting Kira's heart."

"Then what do we do?" Roka held his friend in his arms in his crouching position on the floor.

Kira's eyes kept opening slowly, then blinking shut as she pushed herself to stay awake. Naminé and DiZ looked at each other as if they both knew the answer to Roka's question.

"Perhaps we could put her to sleep in a pod of her own?" DiZ suggested.

"Alright, how long would she need to sleep for?" Roka panted.

"The process could take several months," Naminé said in a sympathetic tone.

"Months?!" Roka felt sick.

"I'll do it," Kira whispered as she stood up slowly, using her friend's arm for support.

"Kira, no..."

"I'm going to fall asleep anyway, right? I know I'll be safe if I'm here."

Naminé and DiZ nodded in unison. Riku folded his arms, obviously not feeling a need to be a part of the conversation.

"Roka, I'm going to send you home, okay?" Kira smiled at him sleepily.

Roka shook his head, "But I just found you again! I don't want to leave you here!"

"It won't be forever. I'll see you again, don't worry." She wrapped her arms around him in a weak hug and Roka latched onto her tightly.

As Kira pulled away, she felt a lump in her throat when she saw tears run down Roka's face.

She turned and looked back at DiZ. "Before I go to sleep...do you think I could see Sora?"

DiZ gave Naminé a questioning look and the young Nobody nodded her head. "I think that should be alright," she said to Kira.

DiZ stepped behind the control panel and pressed a few buttons. Everyone's gaze turned to the huge white flower-like pod as it slowly bloomed open. Within a few seconds, the sleeping Sora was revealed, hovering in mid-air. His expression was calm and peaceful.

Roka helped Kira walk closer to her Reverse so that she could get a good look at him.

_It's him. This is the boy that changed my life without even knowing it.  
Sora.  
You're just like me. I can see that now. You're just going along living life trying to do the right thing. I hope the end of your journey is a happy one._

"Sleep well, Sora." Kira whispered, smiling sleepily at the boy in red.

DiZ closed the pod and Naminé led Kira and Roka to the room where the other pods were kept. Riku stayed behind with DiZ.  
As Kira looked into the first two pods, she realised that there were two other occupied ones besides Sora's. They were definitely odd-looking characters.

"Who are they?" she asked Naminé.

"Sora's friends, Donald and Goofy," the blonde Nobody replied.

Kira breathed a short laugh. _I remember Mickey telling me about them. Looks like they got the clues we left for them after all._

"Will this one be okay?" Naminé gestured to an empty pod next to the King's Royal Magician and Captain.

Kira nodded a couple of times and Naminé pressed a palm to it to open it. As the walls of the pod unfolded, Kira breathed in deeply, turned and embraced Roka again.

"Why can't you just come home?" he whimpered.

Kira stood there, slouched over her friend as she was barely able to stand. "I have to stay."

"But I could-"

"Please don't try and talk me out of this. I need to stay here and I need you to stay at home with your step-mom and Penelo and the others. Can you do that for me?"

Roka pulled away and looked into Kira's tired amber eyes. He couldn't believe that he was saying goodbye to her a second time. He was broken. He could barely breathe. Breathing without Kira was a painful task; he'd learned this quickly during the past week.  
Kira forced a smile, then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her friend's cheek. Romance was the last thing on her mind, it was only a mere gesture of comfort. "I'll see you soon," she promised.

Roka swallowed hard and his voice broke mid-sentence when he spoke. "See you soon, Kira."

Then Kira let go of Roka's arms and walked slowly and unsteadily to her white pod. She managed to climb into it with shaky legs and she stood on the bottom of it, looking out at Roka.

"Sweet dreams," he said as Naminé pressed a hand to the pod and made it close slowly.

Kira smiled to herself as she let her eyes slide shut. As she began to float in mid-air inside her white shell, she let sleep take over her mind.

On the other side, Naminé opened a Corridor of Darkness to Destiny Islands. Roka glanced at Naminé for a second before smiling sadly as he stepped into the portal.

...

"Wha- Who's there?"

Kira heard a boy's voice call out to her and she opened her eyes. She was standing in complete darkness.

"Hey...who are you?" the only other person that was there in that dark world ran up to her.

Kira stood there blinking in surprise as she scanned her eyes over the boy's brown hair, red outfit and yellow shoes.  
"Sora?"

"Huh? Have we met?" Sora folded his arms and tilted his head.

Kira was silent for a second, but then forced a laugh to snap herself out of it. "Uh, no. I guess not. I'm Kira," she smiled.

"Hey, that's a cool name. So, how come you know me when we've never met before?"

"Well, I've heard a lot about you-"

"Wait, the better question is why are you _here_? In my dream, I mean."

Kira looked around at the darkness around her. "I guess we're having the same dream?"

"So, you're sleeping too?" Sora knelt down on the dark 'floor'.

Kira sat down too. "Yeah. So, how come you're sleeping, anyway?" That part was never properly explained to Kira.

"Me? Well, this might sound kinda weird, but this girl called Naminé is erasing my memory of the past few days. In fact, eventually, I'll even forget this conversation we're having right now."

"And you'll forget all about me?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry," Sora laughed nervously.

"No, it's fine! In fact...if that's the case... then can I tell you a secret?" Kira grinned excitedly.

...

"Wow, I never would have guessed that there was a whole other world behind that door!" Sora exclaimed after Kira had finished telling her story.

"It's true. Unbelievable, but true," Kira laughed and shrugged.

Then Sora's expression turned serious. "But, wow, I'm...I'm so sorry that you lost your heart because of me. If only I'd known..."

"Hey, you didn't do anything wrong, Sora. It was the only way to save Kairi," Kira smiled warmly.

Sora returned the smile and nodded, "At least we're both alright after everything that happened. You know, you seem like a really cool girl, Kira. It's kinda exciting that my heart's connected to someone like you," Sora said awkwardly.

Kira was genuinely flattered, "Thanks. I'm glad to be connected to a brave guy like you, too."

"It's kinda sad that I'll have forgotten all about you by the time I wake up, though," Sora pursed his lips into a sad smile.

"It's probably for the best, though. I'm just glad I got to meet you at all," Kira said in a grateful voice.

Sora nodded absent-mindedly before looking up at Kira, a bright sparkle in his blue eyes.  
"Keep going! Tell me more about your world...and your friends...!"

**Kingdom Hearts: Scattered Hearts~**


	9. Good Intentions

**Twilight Town- One Year Later**

"Take care of it, Ansem."

Riku stared at the man in red for a few seconds, glaring at him through the hood of his coat before turning to leave. _How could I? _he thought to himself as he rose up the staircase to the first floor of the mansion. _After all she did, how could I just destroy Naminé? But...if it really must be done._

Naminé didn't even look up when Riku pushed the door open. She was sitting on her chair pulled up at the table, staring at the floor.

"Naminé, come with me," Riku instructed, his voice sounding cruel only because it was not his own; the voice of the Heartless who had taken over his body.

Naminé didn't respond and continued to stare expressionless at nothing in particular. Riku, wanting to get this over with as quickly and as easily as possible, started to briskly walk towards the silent Nobody.

"Naminé, let's go," he intentionally put some force into his words this time.

"I don't want to disappear," Naminé whispered.

Riku stopped in front of her. "What?"

"I don't want to disappear...I feel like I've only just begun to live," Naminé raised her blue eyes to meet Riku's.

"I don't have time for this," he took Naminé's small arm and pulled her to her feet.

"No! You understand, don't you? Getting another chance at life-?"

"You're barely even living as it is. Nobodies aren't supposed to exist," Riku cut her off and started forcing her towards the door by her wrist.

He had the intention of taking her outside. If he was going to destroy her, the White Room was not an ideal location.

"_Please, _Riku! Maybe I could have a real life! I know this contradicts everything I ever thought about myself, but this just can't be the only way. I'm...scared." Naminé was pleading now.

Riku had pulled her through the door and was struggling to force the resisting Nobody down the stairs.

"You belong with Kairi. You _are _Kairi. If I destroy you, you'll be able to return to her and you'll be a whole person again," Riku pulled her down the last step.

Naminé started pulling back with futile efforts. She kept begging "Please, Riku!" the whole way to the front door. Riku ignored her cries and noticed that DiZ must have returned to the basement while he had gone to get Naminé.

"You know what it's like, don't you? To-!" Naminé stopped mid-sentence to utter a short squeak as she was tugged through the front door. "To have your life just ripped away from you! Forced to become someone else!"

After taking her down the pathway outside a little bit, Riku released Naminé's arm and took a few steps back. He raised his Keyblade and took up a battle stance, even though the Nobody didn't have the physical ability to put up much of a fight.

"You knew this was coming from the beginning," he had to force himself to sound tough. He couldn't let Naminé's fighting words get to him.

"There has to be another way. Please don't do this!"

"You have nothing more to offer the world. You have to go back to where you belong," Riku could hardly even understand the words that were coming out of his own mouth.

Naminé was silent. Riku took that as her giving up and he raised his Keyblade high above his head.

_Nothing to offer... _The words spun in Naminé's mind. Suddenly drawing in a loud gasp, she cried out just as Riku started to bring the Keyblade down in her direction.

"I can make you look like yourself again!"

Riku's eyes widened and he dropped his Keyblade. Hitting the ground and bouncing once, it disappeared.

"What do you mean?" he stared at Naminé with an expression frozen in shock.

"I can make you look like 'Riku' again," Naminé panted, breathless with fear and relief.

"I don't...how?" Riku murmured, almost to himself.

"I might be able to. If I use your memories of your old self...with DiZ's technology, I could create a façade look for you." Naminé was really just making this all up on the spot. But when she thought about it, the idea wasn't completely far-fetched.

Riku took a moment to seriously think this all through. Riku longed to rid himself of the horrible appearance he wore of the man who had done horrible things to him in the past.

He sighed quietly and rubbed his forehead with a gloved hand, pulling back his hood.  
"Show me," he said finally.

This earned a relieved and grateful smile from Naminé as she nodded and ran back into the mansion with Riku following after her.

...

**Destiny Islands**

Penelo was greeted by the anxious faces of Denzel and Marlene, now 11 and 7 years-old. The 18-year-old placed a hand to her head and sighed as her approached the entrance to the Secret Place.

"How long has he been in there?" she asked the children.

Marlene looked down at her feet. "He's been in there since yesterday. We tried calling to him and everything, but he won't talk to us."

Penelo breathed a frustrated sigh, raised a fist and slammed it into the wooden door a few times. "_Roka! _Roka, please come out! We just want to talk to you!"

No reply.

"Roka, we're worried about you! Will you just talk to us?" Marlene joined in.

"We know you're still there!" Denzel cried.

There was silence for a few seconds. Penelo pressed her ear up to the wood to try and hear her friend on the other side.

"Just leave me alone," they heard Roka's muffled reply.

"Roka, are you okay? We're here to help you!" Penelo spoke in a slightly raised voice, so as to sound calming and still be heard by him.

"There's nothing you can do. How many times do I have to tell you."

"We miss you, Roka!" Marlene looked close to tears.

"Look, if you don't come out, I'm bringing your step-mom over here to talk to you," Penelo tried.

There was silence again. Then the latch on the other side of the door lifted and the door opened. Roka stood there staring into empty space. His blue fringe was long and covered one of his sky-coloured eyes. He was dressed in a white and red long-sleeved shirt that fitted him quite loosely on his unnaturally slim figure. His jeans were a simple grey colour. It was obvious that he hadn't eaten or slept properly in several days.

"Roka, I think you should go home. Talk to your step-mom and get some help." Penelo spoke in a sensitive tone.

"I don't need help," Roka looked like he was about to turn and go back inside the Secret Place.

Denzel reached out and gently grabbed his sleeve and started pulling him across the beach with the girl's following along beside them. Roka hardly bothered to protest.

"Come on, Rokie," Marlene did her best to lighten the mood.

They all climbed into a boat and Penelo took them back to the Main Island. Roka's three friends walked him to his house and said their goodbyes at the doorstep to allow Roka some space to go back home by himself.

As he opened the door, he was immediately pulled into a warm hug by his step-mother, Haruki. Her brown hair was tied back with a blue ribbon and she was wearing a white apron over a purple dress. Roka just stood there in her embrace, dazed.

"I'm so glad you're home," Haruki whispered.

Roka didn't know how to reply, or more accurately, he didn't know how to find the energy to.

Haruki let him go and looked her son over. "You look so sick...can I get you something to eat?"

Roka shook his head.

Haruki held his shoulders, "I'm going to help you get through this, okay? Just _please_ talk to me."

Roka had nothing to say.

His step-mother was silent for a few moments as she thought. Then a hopeful smile appeared on her face and she led Roka into the living room, sitting him down at their black piano.

"How about you write a song about your feelings? It might help you work through them and understand them a little better. You're good at writing songs, aren't you?" she tried to sound as supportive as she could.

Roka stared down at the black and white keys.

"Here, I'll go make you some lunch. Go on Roka, just give it a try," Haruki said as she slowly left for the kitchen, looking back at Roka over her shoulder with a sad expression on her face.

The blue-haired boy wasn't sure what to do for a while, but then decided that it couldn't hurt to humour her. He placed his left hand on the white keys and gently pressed them down, playing a simple chord. It had been months since he'd touched his old piano, but soon, everything that his step-mother had taught him came flooding back to him. He found four low, dark sounding chords that worked well together. Then he tried to think of lyrics. He decided to just sing the first words that came to mind and make up the tune with his right hand on the higher keys as he went along. He was good at that.  
The lyrics were embarrassing, so he sung them quietly so that Haruki didn't hear him from the other room.

...

**Don't Forget Me- Roka**

_I give up._  
_I've held onto hope long enough,_  
_Now I'm done. It's gone._  
_Can't handle the pain, it hurts too much._

_And I tried so hard,_  
_To hold onto a happy memory._  
_But I'm so tired._  
_Don't even have the strength to cry._

_Chorus:_  
_So please don't forget who I was,_  
_When I could take anything that came my way._  
_And I'm so sorry, I just don't think I can go on another day._  
_Give me a reason to fight,_  
_Come back to me and say everything is alright._  
_Just please, don't forget about me._  
_I'm still here._

_xxx_

_The sun will shine,  
But it's hidden by rainclouds and darkness now.  
And I'm still breathing,  
But life is so pointless without you here,_

_With me. Fading,  
Into a place where memory,  
Is all I have,  
That's close enough to sanity._

_CHORUS_

_It's all my fault.  
I should have been braver, I should've stuck by your side.  
But I was too late._

_Chorus II:_

_Just please don't forget who I was,  
A person I might never be again.  
And I'm so sorry, I'm trying my best,  
To hold on.  
So be my reason to try.  
Promise me I'll see you again someday.  
I'm waiting for you,  
You're so far away from._

_So why am I still here?  
Wandering aimlessly.  
Tell me what I can do to make things right.  
I'm so sorry, I'll try harder to bring you home to me.  
This life just isn't the same,  
When there's no reason to keep on living.  
Promise...promise, you won't forget about me.  
I'm still here._

_..._

**Twilight Town**

She hardly knew how she'd managed to pull it off. But she had. Naminé blinked a few times, staring wide-eyed at her creation. Using a method of turning memories into data, the young Nobody had created a perfect new look for Riku. She had taken his memories of his voice and his appearance as a 15-year-old, aged them a year, and then transferred the data onto Riku's body. All by using DiZ's computer and her powers. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself.

"Well? Did it work?" Riku stopped, hearing the sound of his new voice and answering his own question.

Naminé jumped out of her thoughts and nodded a few times. "It's perfect. You're 'Riku' again," she smiled.

Riku pulled at a few strands of his long silver fringe. Although his hair had been that length before he let the Heartless take over his body, he had been wearing a blindfold the whole time and had never stopped to notice how long his hair had become over the past year. "It grew so much. I kinda like it this length, though. Thanks, Naminé."

The blonde blushed a little, "Oh, it was nothing really. I mean, if DiZ can do something like that, anyone can, right?"

"Funny, for a second there, it almost sounded like you were insulting him. But you'd never do that, would you?" Riku smirked.

"No, of course not!" Naminé giggled, playing along.

Both seemed to have forgotten that not long before, Riku had been trying to kill the poor girl. But Naminé was able to put it behind her and Riku was to preoccupied with his new look to turn it over in his mind. Either way, Naminé was glad that Riku was acting more like a friend now.

"Alright, now that it's almost time for Sora to wake up, there's another special person that we need to wake up first."

"Hm? Who?" Riku tilted his head slightly.

Naminé blinked, "What are you talking about...Kira!"

"Oh yeah...Almost forgot about her."

Naminé placed a hand to her forehead. "You're impossible, sometimes. Come on, let's go."

...

Naminé stood in front of the three white pods, all lined up side-by-side. Kira, Donald and Goofy. After almost a whole year, it was time for them to wake up.  
Deciding not to wait any longer, Naminé stepped forward and placed a hand on the outside of Kira's pod. Immediately afterwards, the white container clicked open, it's walls beginning to unfold with a quiet whirring sound. The girl inside was slowly revealed. When the pod was fully open, Kira, who had been floating in mid-air, finally found gravity again and her black shoes rested on the floor of her container.

Blinking her eyes a few times, Kira finally woke after a long year of sleep. She reached her arms up as high as she could, stretching and yawning.  
"Five more minutes," she mumbled in her sleepy daze.

"It's been a whole year, and she's still tired," Riku scoffed, a small smile on his face.

"Did we save the worlds yet, Mickey?" Kira stumbled out of the pod and knelt down on the floor.

Yawning again and waking up completely, she looked up at the people who she had only ever met once before.  
"Oh, you're that girl who put me to sleep," she looked at Naminé, getting to her feet. Having aged a year, her voice was still a little high-pitched, but it had lost the young, sweet tone it once had.

"Wait, you haven't lost your memory, have you?" Riku folded his arms in concern.

Kira shook her head; her longer purple hair, that now reached to the middle of her neck, swayed a little. "No, no, it's coming back to me now. Tried to save the world, failed, made a few friends, lost a few friends, then finally, wasted a whole year of my life by sleeping it away. Does that about sum it up?" Kira was smiling, even though her words were quite grim.

"Well, that's a depressing way to put it, but yeah, more or less," Riku replied, shaking his head at her strange mood.

Kira looked down at her vest and shorts that were now too small for her by a size or two. She pulled at her curly purple hair, "Guess I'm fifteen now, huh?"

Naminé nodded and breathed a quiet laugh. "Yep, same age as me."

Everyone stayed silent for a few seconds.

Then Kira loudly clapped her hands together. "Well! Guess I better get going, then!" She opened a Corridor of Darkness.

Riku stepped forward, "Wait, what are-?"

"You too...um..." she paused, trying to remember his name, "Riku! Tsuki's in Hollow Bastion, so hurry up and get over there! I'll get Roka and meet you in The World That Never Was!" Kira disappeared with a quick wave.

Naminé slowly turned her head to exchange questioning looks with her silver-haired companion.

"I guess it's safe to say that long sleeps like that do weird things to people," Riku said in a small voice.  
"Makes me worry about how Sora's turned out."

...

**_You can now find the first part of Roka's song, Don't Forget Me, on my WornAndOneWinged Youtube channel! It's just a short video of me playing it on my keyboard. :3_**


	10. Saved by a Silver-Haired Angel

**Destiny Islands**

Kira stepped out of the Dark Corridor and onto the footpath of the neighbourhood that she and her friends had once called home. Tsuki's house was to her right. Kira lived a couple of houses down and Roka's was right across the street.  
Kira crossed the road quickly and ran all the way to her friend's house. When she jogged up the front steps, she banged on the door a couple of times and waited. Not long after, Haruki opened the door and Kira greeted her with a beaming smile.

"Is Roka home?"

Haruki's mouth dropped open and the glass of water she'd been holding fell to the floor. The glass itself survived the fall, but the carpet on the inside of the house was soaked. Haruki threw her hands to her cheeks.

"I don't believe...Kira, is that you?"

Kira was feeling incredibly awkward after the small accident she had caused and hardly even knew what to say. "Um...I can help clean that up for you-"

"N-no, it's fine! Please, Roka's gone back to the Island, go see him! He's been waiting for you for so long!" Haruki waved her away, but in a polite and excited manner.

Kira, returning to her ultra-happy mood, nodded quickly, turned and ran off. "Thank you! Tell my parents that I'm okay! Tsuki's, too!" she called back over her shoulder.

"I will!" Haruki called back, waving.

When Kira turned a corner to head towards the beach, she bumped straight into Denzel, causing both of them to stumble backwards. Kira closed her eyes and shook her head before looking to see who she had hit.

"Denzel?!"

Denzel drew in a loud gasp. "No way! Kira?!"

Kira attacked the boy with a big hug. "You've gotten so tall!" she snuggled into him.

Denzel laughed, "This is amazing! I thought you'd never come back!"

Kira let him go and grinned. "It's so great to see you, Denzel. But listen, I really need to go find Roka, so-"

Denzel's expression turned serious. "Wait, before you go, there's something I should probably tell you about Roka first..."

...

Kira's heart was racing as she sprinted towards the Secret Place. It was good to see the special little shack again, but her reasons for coming there made it a little hard to get sentimental about it. She skidded to a stop and crashed her fist into the door in a panic, still catching her breath from rowing to the Island and running to the Secret Place as fast as she could. She tried to pull it open, wondering why she hadn't done so in the first place, but quickly found that it was locked.

Kira growled in frustration. "Roka, are you in there?"  
She waited for a reply, but none came.  
"It's me! It's Kira!"

The door unlatched and Roka threw it open from the other side. He screamed his friend's name as he embraced her and pulled her forwards into the shack. Kira gasped, losing her balance and stumbling forwards, causing Roka to fall onto his back with her on top of him. Roka grunted and pushed himself into a sitting position, pulling Kira into another hug on the ground.

"Kira...Kira, please tell me you're real. Tell me I'm not dreaming," he was crying.

Kira held onto Roka tightly, suddenly overwhelmed with several emotions at once. "It's me, I'm right here."

"Please don't leave me, Kira. Don't ever leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise, I'm going to stay with you forever."

Roka pulled back and smiled through his tears, laughing and sobbing at the same time.

"I'm so sorry, Roka. What happened to you, you look terrible..." Kira was finally able to get a good look at her friend, seeing the tired black marks around his eyes as she gently put a hand to his face and brushed back his long blue fringe.

"I...couldn't cope...with being alone like this," Roka let out a shaky breath.

"But, you weren't alone...you had Penelo and..."

"It's not the same without you and Tsuki. It almost..."

Kira looked around the shack and saw an large open treasure chest containing a couple of pillows and a blanket. _Has Roka been staying the night here?_

"It almost destroyed me," Roka choked on his words.

Kira looked back at Roka, "It's going to be okay now."

"No, I mean..._I _almost destroyed me," Roka pursed his lips sadly.

Kira suddenly realised what he meant and she gasped, raising a hand to her mouth. "Roka...you didn't..."

Roka looked away. "I thought about doing it. I was willing to try anything just to see you again. I was just so sad, I didn't even know how to smile anymore. I didn't see the point in fighting. But then I finally came back here after a whole year of avoiding this place. And when I saw that drawing..." he gestured to the drawing on the wall that he and Kira had made together when they were kids, "I knew that I had to just...go on doing the best I could. Because I was sure that you'd come back some day."

Kira saw that he had drawn himself giving a Paopu fruit to her just as she had drawn herself giving him one a year ago. It made her so happy to see the completed picture. She heard Roka breathe a short laugh and she turned back quickly to look at him again.

"Are we going to get Tsuki now?" he stood up and smiled.

Kira pushed herself to her feet as well and reached for Roka's hand, taking it in hers and holding it affectionately. She looked into Roka's eyes and grinned. "You bet."

Summoning a Corridor of Darkness, Kira sent the two of them to the World That Never Was.

...

**Hollow Bastion**

Opening that door was the hardest thing that Riku had ever done. Sure, he had betrayed his best friend. Sure he'd had to leave his own body behind to take on the form of a Heartless. But he knew that nothing could ever come close to being as hard as it was to open that door and see the sleeping Nobody lying in her bed. He was the cause of that. If he hadn't fought her, she would have had enough strength to take on the woman who killed her. Tsuki was just an innocent girl. Why did he do it? Just because some stranger in a robe told him to? _I'm such an idiot_, he cringed as he approached the bed.

Having completely forgotten about Tsuki, he had never planned to be there in the first place. But Kira had already left and was probably waiting for him at that time. He couldn't very well just leave her and Roka alone in the Organization's world. But now, he was starting to wish that he'd never returned to this place at all. There were too many painful memories stored within the walls the Hollow Bastion castle.

Staring down at the ginger-haired Nobody made his throat hurt a little. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm...sorry," he murmured to the sleeping girl as he pushed back the bed sheets and scooped her up in his arms.

She was still wearing the same torn black dress that she had been wearing the last time he'd seen her. Her hair had grown a lot in the past year. Her long hair that used to reach mid-back length now flowed down to her hips, which had also grown a small amount, widening into a sixteen-year-old's figure. Her facial features had matured a little as well, and her expression was calm.

Tentatively cradling her in his arms, Riku took Tsuki's Nobody and disappeared in a Dark Corridor.

...

**The World That Never Was**

Just as Riku had expected, Kira and Roka were waiting for him at the highest area of the Castle That Never Was. The artificial Kingdom Hearts shone brightly above them.

Kira ran up to Riku as the Corridor disappeared. "Thank you so much for doing this," she said, smiling down at her sleeping friend.

Riku looked away sighing, "You didn't exactly give me much of a choice. But I guess I can't go around with someone else's light in my heart..."

Kira pressed her lips together and gave him a cheeky grin.

"Come on, let's do this before somebody comes!" Roka called to them.

Riku nodded and took a few steps forward. "So...what exactly am I supposed to do, again?"

"Just stand there holding Tsuki, and will her light out of your heart. It'll find Tsuki's heart up there and return it to her!" Kira explained, pointing the heart-shaped moon in the black sky.

"Alright then," Riku was still a little confused as to how this was going to work, but he followed her simple instructions.

He closed his eyes, trying to search the depths of his heart for an unfamiliar light. When he finally felt its presence, he willed it to leave. _Thanks for protecting me. But I think I'm strong enough to fight on my own, with my own light. You can go back to Tsuki, now. _

With a small flash, a tiny beam of light was released from Riku's chest. Everyone stared at it; Riku in shock and Kira and Roka in excitement. The light hovered above their heads for a few seconds before shooting up into the sky. It disappeared into the Organization's Kingdom Hearts and soon afterwards, a bigger sparkling ball of light, a heart, floated down and into the sleeping Nobody's chest.

Tsuki's green eyes opened immediately.

She slowly turned her head up to look at Riku who was staring at her with his lips parted slightly in shock. She gazed sleepily into his gorgeous aquamarine eyes, a dreamy smile on her face.

Kira and Roka ran up to her, laughing quietly in relief. "Welcome back, Tsu," Kira grinned.

Tsuki breathed a contented sigh before her eyes slid shut once more. She was still awake, but something about her was a little off. Like she had fallen ill.

"W-what's wrong, Tsu?" Kira turned pale.

Riku's eyes narrowed and he turned his head quickly as he heard a Corridor of Darkness appear behind him.  
"We've got bigger problems," he said in a hushed, dark tone.

Axel stepped out of the darkness and scanned his eyes slowly over everyone. "Hey, long time no see, Riku..."

"A-Axel?" Kira gasped.

"Oh wow, is that you, Xarki?" the red-head's green eyes widened in shock.

Kira paused for a few seconds, a smile growing on her face as she was glad to see the red-head after so long. "Well, not quite. My name's Kira."

Axel coughed a laugh, "What are you, Xarki's twin sister, or something?"

Riku glared at him. Roka put a hand on Tsuki's limp arm protectively.

"Um, no. Axel, I'm not a-"

"Axel, what's taking you so long?" Kira recognised Xigbar's voice from somewhere not too far away.

"Uh-oh," Axel looked behind him with a serious expression.  
He turned back quickly and opened a Dark Portal. "Let's go. Now!"

"Where are we going?" Riku demanded.

Axel laughed as he ran forward. "Back to your place!" he disappeared.

"Come on," Kira gestured for the others to follow as she jumped into the darkness as well.

Riku gave Roka a nod before the two of them vanished through Axel's portal with Riku still holding on tightly to Tsuki in her sleepy state.

"Axel?" Xigbar ran up the white pathway. "Axel!"

He stopped, turning a full 360. After confirming that No. VIII wasn't there, Xigbar pursed his lips into a half-hearted frown before rubbing the back of his head.

"Ugh, now look what you've done. Now I have to tell on you, and that's _not _gonna be pretty."

...

"What happened to Tsuki?" Naminé asked worriedly as everyone appeared in the White Room.

"Come with me, we need to figure out how to fix her," Riku walked briskly to the door and left with Tsuki in his arms and Roka quickly shuffling behind him.

"O-okay," Naminé jogged through the door as well.

It was nice seeing Riku acting so protective over his Reverse, but knowing that her friend was in good hands, Kira had other things to worry about. Now that the two of them were alone, she made eye-contact with Axel.

"I'm not a Nobody anymore."

Axel opened with mouth as if he was going to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he closed his mouth, puffed his cheeks full of air, then blew out slowly.  
"Wow. Um, how...how..."

"My heart's connected to Sora's," Kira quickly started her explanation to save him the trouble of finding his words.

When she finished, Axel didn't look much less confused, but he still nodded like he understood.

Kira folded her arms. "Right, now I've got some questions for you."  
A little sadness filled her expression and she looked away.  
"Can you tell me what happened to Larxene?" she mumbled.

Even after a year, she still hadn't forgotten about the eccentric Savage Nymph.

Axel blinked a couple of times, then spoke awkwardly. "Um, well...she...Larxene...Larxene was eliminated."

Kira felt a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach and clenched her teeth as she cringed. Although she had been half-expecting that answer; Larxene had already prepared her for it; it still killed her inside.

She took a deep shivering breath. "How did she die?"

Axel looked down at the floor. "She was too careless. She got into a fight with Sora that she couldn't win."

Kira felt tears prick the corners of her eyes as she nodded in response.

_I'm gonna see you again, though. Right?  
Of course. I know we'll see each other again some day.  
Don't forget about me, okay?  
'Course not! You're my friend, remember._

"And what about Zexion?" Kira asked suddenly.

Axel lifted his head and tilted it a little in confusion. "Huh? Zexion?" he asked as if he was confirming that he had heard her correctly.

"Yeah. What happened to Zexion?" Kira mumbled with a hint of demand in her tone.

Axel turned a ghostly white colour. His eyes darted left then right, a guilty look on his face.  
He eventually replied in a sorry voice. "He was eliminated as well."

Kira could hear the guilt in his voice and a few pieces clicked into place in her mind. "And who's fault was that?" her sadness was beginning to become mixed with anger.

Axel stared into space with empty eyes. "Mine."

Kira clenched her fists and her teeth, fighting back tears will all her strength.

"You...you..._you bastard!_"

With a violent scream, she stepped forward and kicked Axel as hard as she could in the chest. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps. Hunched over, clutching his chest, Axel looked up helplessly as Kira crashed a fist across his face. He fell sideways, using his hands to support himself on the ground. He stayed there, letting Kira throw punch after punch. Axel did nothing but grunt with each hit, feeling like he deserved every painful blow she delivered.

Kira hit him until her knuckles were sore and her throat hurt from screaming. Finally, she let Axel stand up. He was panting, but not as much as Kira was. His face was a little red in a few places, but not as much as Kira's hands were. But still, she refused to cry._ Wherever you're going, Kira…do your best to keep smiling._

"How could you..."

"I'm sorry. I was following or-"

"No. You know what, I don't want to hear it."

_I didn't even know she was friends with Zexion, _Axel thought. _I disappointed her. I bet that's why she acted out when she found out what happened to Zexion rather than when I told her about Larxene. Because she saw me as a friend, too. She trusted me. Dammit, it seems like I'm breaking everyone's trust nowadays._

"Axel, you need to think really hard about the people you're working for. Decide if you really want to be a part of a group like that. You were a good person, but...look at what the Organization's turned you into," Kira mumbled in a bitter tone.

She had a point. Axel had been a pretty decent person. But over the past year, he had been responsible for the deaths of two of his comrades and he had lost his best friend in the whole world and couldn't get him back no matter how many times he tried. He'd done the Organization's dirty work because Xemnas had promised him a heart in return. But it hadn't been worth it. Not at all. _I'll fix myself up. I'll try to be a good person from now on._

"Kira, I'm really sorry," he said.

Kira couldn't make eye-contact with him. She had calmed down, but her anger still boiled violently inside her heart. "I think you should leave now."

Axel stood there for a second, but then a tiny hint of a smile appeared on his face. He nodded with closed eyes and opened a Dark Portal.

"Thanks, Kira," he said quietly as he disappeared.

An image of the chess game she and Axel had played together flashed through Kira's mind for a second and she silently hoped that wherever Axel was going, someday he could return to the fun and friendly Axel he used to be.

She was distracted from her thoughts and sadness as the door to the White Room opened. Tsuki stepped through it with a bright smile on her face. The black dress had been replaced by her normal attire; a brown and black shirt (that had been too long for her a year ago and now fit her perfectly) and black 3/4 length leggings (that now came up to her knees). Her smile faded when she saw Kira's serious expression.

"What's wrong, Kira?" Tsuki's voice had matured a little as well.

Kira shook her head and sprinted towards her friend. "Forget it, it's nothing," she grinned as she wrapped her arms around Tsuki in the biggest hug she could give.

Tsuki squealed in delight as she spun Kira around in a full circle. "It's so good to see you!"

The two best friends pulled back a little and smiled at each other, giggling happily.

"I'm so glad you're okay! How did they manage to wake you up?" Kira asked, still holding onto Tsuki's arms.

The flame-head gasped as she pulled Kira to the door. "Oh, it's the weirdest thing ever! You have to see! Come on, I'll explain everything on the way."

Tsuki linked arms with Kira and the two of them made their way to the mansion's basement.

...

So from what Kira had gathered during their short journey to the Pod Room...

Tsuki's strong darkness, that had been the only active force inside her sleeping Nobody, had been rejecting the light that was trying to fill her heart. The conflict that was taking place inside her prevented Tsuki from waking up properly. So in order to fix this, DiZ took enough light and darkness from Tsuki's heart so that exactly half of each remained. This was actually quite easy for him to do as Tsuki's sub-conscious was more than aware of what was going on and was able to will the light and darkness from her body. With a perfect balance created, Tsuki was revived completely. As for what became of the left over light and darkness, DiZ kept the two forces safe inside Sora's empty pod, which he had woken up in and left a little while ago.

No further explaining was needed, because Kira could see very clearly what had happened next. She stared at the open pod in front of her, her mouth gaping open. There were two other sleeping Tsuki's floating there. Perfect clones. The only differences between them being that one was wearing a short torn black dress and silver chains around her wrists, and the other was wearing a long white skirt that flowed down to her ankles and white bandages wrapped around her torso and arms.

Kira was woken from her shock as Naminé spoke up from behind the control panel. "Isn't it amazing? The light and darkness each took up a form of their own. When they wake up, they'll be able to exist as their own beings separate from Tsuki."

"But won't it be kinda weird having _three _Tsuki's?" Kira could hardly get her head around it.

"I'm currently working on giving them and individual look of their own. Soon they'll be three different people," Naminé smiled.

"And when the two of them become strong enough to work together as one, they can return to Tsuki's heart without conflict," DiZ explained.

Kira nodded slowly, deciding to accept the strange information she had just learned without question. She decided that she didn't care what happened, as long as it meant that Tsuki was going to be okay.

"The only thing left to worry about is...what to call them."

"Hm?" Tsuki made a questioning noise at DiZ's comment.

The man in red stood beside Naminé as she tapped away at a keypad.

"Well, they're not Heartless or Nobodies. So what shall we call them?"

Tsuki reached out a pointing finger towards the girl in black. "Her name is Tristis," then she pointed at the girl in white, "And that's Laeta."

"You're naming them?" Roka guessed.

"That doesn't really help solve the problem," Riku said matter-of-factly.

Tsuki turned and looked at the two boys. "Of course it does! Look, you could go on forever trying to think of a proper name for them. They'll look similar to me, so you could call them my sisters. But they also came from me, so heck, you could go as far as to call them my _daughters_! But all those ideas just hurt my head...their whole _existence _hurts my head! So it'll be a lot easier if we just keep things simple and call them 'people'. So everybody, this is Tristis and Laeta!" Tsuki grinned.

DiZ thought it over in his logical brain, then smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot," he looked serious again as he suddenly remembered something.  
"It slipped my mind during everything that's happened. But very recently, I've become aware that certain people have gone missing from their worlds. They've been somehow transported to worlds far from their own."

Everyone gasped, each having something to say about the matter.

"Who?!" "That's horrible!" "What can we do?"

DiZ raised a hand to calm them down. "I have found a connection between all the people who have been scattered to other worlds. Kira, each person is from a world that you visited and sealed its Keyhole with darkness."

Kira raised a hand to her mouth. "You mean the darkness had some kind of weird affect on the world and somehow sent people...wait, how does that even work?"

"It took a whole year for the darkness to take effect, but yes, it has somehow sent people to other worlds. One person from each of the worlds you visited on your journey a year ago has gone missing in the past few days," DiZ finished.

Kira shook her head and ran a hand over her hair. "Oh man, this is all my fault. I'm going to get them back!"

"You're not going anywhere," Roka stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

Tsuki nodded. "He's right. You deserve a break more than any of us. I'll go and save the lost people," she made a determined fist.

Kira looked as though she was about to protest, wanting to take responsibility for her actions. But she could just picture the argument that she would start when Tsuki refused to back down. And besides, she promised Roka that she wasn't going to leave him.

She smiled gratefully, "That would be awesome."

"And Riku will be going along with you," DiZ made that decision for him.

A decision which Riku was apparently not very happy with. "Hey, I never said-"

"Come on, you know you've got plenty of time on your hands," Naminé glanced up from her work to give Riku a sweet smile.

"Yeah, come on Riku! It'll give us some Reverse bonding time!" Tsuki giggled. "Besides, you owe it to me after all the trouble I went through because of you," she added with a wink.

For a second, Riku hated her for even bringing that up. But he quickly realised that she had a good point.  
He gave in with a sigh, "Fine. But only if I get to check up on Sora every once and a while."

"Don't worry, we'll come back here after each world we visit, so you can use that time to go see him. Now...um...who's Sora?" Tsuki tilted her head in confusion.

Kira laughed, "That's right, you've missed a few explanations, haven't you."

"Yeah, I guess. I only knew that Riku was connected to my heart because Roka had a little habit of talking to the dolls we gave him a year ago. So he told me all about Riku when my light when my sub-conscious mind was with him," Tsuki smiled.

"H-hey, don't tell her that! Talking to dolls...it makes me sound crazy or something," Roka blushed nervously.

"Alright. Tsuki, you stay here for now and I'll bring you up to date on anything. Oh and Kira, there's another thing I need to tell you as well. There were some girls that came to Twilight Town asking about you. They've been travelling to many worlds, looking for you. You should be able to find them in the Tram Common," DiZ told both Tsuki and Kira in turn.

"Wh-...who could that have been?" Kira wondered.

Riku spoke up, "Before I go anywhere, Naminé, I need you to come with me."

Naminé stood up from the control panel. "There, I'm all finished. The changes I made to Tristis and Laeta's appearances should start to show soon, and I gave them both a unique voice as well. So, where are we going, Riku?"

The silver-haired young man smiled a little, "Come on, let's go get your sketch book. You won't be coming back here for a while."

Naminé stared at him for a few seconds in confusion, then slowly tilted her head to look down at her feet. "You're sending me away?"

"It's not like that. Things are gonna get pretty hectic around here, so I'll take you to someone who can take care of you for the time being," Riku started to walk towards the Pod Room's door, gesturing for her to follow with a quick flick of his wrist.

Understanding that Riku meant well by what he was doing, Naminé breathed out quietly into a smile. "Okay, Riku," she said as she started to walk with him.  
She turned and looked over her shoulder at everyone. "Goodbye. It was nice to meet you all," she sang.

Kira stepped forward quickly. "Hey, Naminé?"

The blonde Nobody stopped to hear what she had to say.

"Thank you. I mean it. You've helped me a lot. So thanks, Naminé," Kira flashed her signature grin.

"Yeah, thank you, Naminé!" Tsuki joined in.

"Thanks, Naminé," Roka was just as grateful for the help she had given his friends.

Even DiZ nodded in gratitude for everything she had done for him as well.

Naminé's lips parted a little in surprise and she placed a hand to her chest, suddenly overwhelmed by a wonderful new feeling. It took her a moment to find her words. "Y-you're welcome," she said finally, a happy smile spreading across her face.

Riku gently put a gloved hand on her shoulder and pulled his hood over his head as he walked out of the room with Naminé walking beside him. She looked back over her shoulder one last time to give everyone a bright grin.

...

Kira took Roka along with her as she left for the Tram Common in a Corridor of Darkness. The two of them walked along the dark red tram tracks together in the direction of the shops, all dotted around in their own little sections of the open area. The air outside was a little warm and smelled fresh, and it was a nice change from being cooped up inside the dark old mansion for so long. Kira breathed in deeply and let it out in a contented sigh.

"So, who are these girls that are looking for you, anyway?" Roka asked.

Kira folded her arms as she walked, suddenly finding her vest to be uncomfortably tight. "I have no id-... Wait...is that...?"

Roka followed Kira's gaze and saw three tiny girls with wings hovering by the Candy Shop window.

"Oh my gosh!" Kira screamed in excitement as she sprinted towards them.

...

"Look, we don't want any trouble. Just give us all the gummy bears you have," Paine put her hands on her hips.

"And a packet of watermelon bubble gum!" Rikku added in a cheerful tone.

"Do you maybe have any sour cola bottles?" Yuna asked politely.

The old shop keeper was terrified, "I-I already told you, I'm completely out of stock!"

"Liar!" Paine pointed a fist at the shivering woman.

"Yuna! Rikku! Paine!"

The three girls gasped in unison as they turned and saw Kira running towards them.

"Kira~!" Rikku flew forwards with outstretched hands and took hold of Kira's.

They spun each other around and Yuna flew up to attack Kira with a big hug. Roka caught up and stood behind the girly, hyper reunion that was happening in front of him. Paine stood back on the other side of it, staring at Roka with an unfazed expression.

"Hey," she greeted him in a deep voice.

Roka just smiled back awkwardly.

"We've been looking EVERYWHERE for you! You wouldn't believe the miles we've flown! The fiends we've faced!" Rikku cried dramatically.

"I can't believe you're here! I'm so glad to see you, it's been way too long! But...why have you been looking for me?" Kira laughed.

"Well, why not? We shouldn't need an excuse to see our favourite Keyblade wielder!" Yuna said.

"That, and you made us a promise to see us again. And then we didn't hear from you for a whole year," Paine added.

"We were so worried about you!" Rikku exclaimed, giving Kira a hug.

"Promise?" Kira looked back on her last meeting with the Gullwings. "Oh! Oh...right. Sorry, I couldn't get those accessories I promised to give you. I...ran into some troubles," Kira used a euphemism for 'I'm actually lucky to be alive right now.'

Yuna laughed, "Don't be sorry! We learned something really important on this journey, didn't we girls?"

Rikku and Paine floated there, tilting their heads in confusion.

Yuna looked at both of them in turn. "Oh, you two are hopeless. We learned that friendship is a far greater treasure than any accessory!"

That earned an "Ooooh~" in realization from her two companions.

"Don't worry, I know how I can make it up to you. I've still got all the money Tifa gave me when I first started my journey. Why don't you use it to buy yourselves an accessory each?" Kira offered as she took the munny pouch containing 100 munny from her shorts pocket and held it out towards Yuna.

The brunette gasped, "We can't take your munny!"

"Sure you can," Kira insisted, "I won't ever use it, anyway. Besides, I promised I'd get you guys some accessories! And a promise is a promise, right?"

The Gullwings exchanged questioning looks before Yuna reluctantly took the pouch and held it to her chest. "We really appreciate this. You're such a great friend, Kira!" Yuna said, thankfully.

Kira gave her a playful wink. "Spend it wisely!"

"Let's spend it now!" Rikku started to fly in the direction of Twilight Town's Accessory Shop.

But she was quickly stopped by Paine as she tightly grabbed hold of her red scarf-wings and pulled her back. "Not yet."

Kira laughed dreamily as old memories came skipping back to her. "So how's Tifa doing?"

"She never came back, actually. She went looking for some guy named Cloud and we haven't seen her since. Poor Morty's had to run the Seventh Heaven all by himself!" Yuna recounted.

"Aw, poor little moogle. Oh, what about Mickey? Have you seen him around, at all?" Kira asked, filled with anticipation.

Rikku gasped, "Funny you should ask!"

"We ran into him not too long ago. In fact, he's the one that told us that we could find you here," Paine said.

Kira covered her mouth as a big smile grew on her face. _He's been checking up on me, hasn't he. Heh, I wish he'd say hi every once and a while, but I guess he's got lots of important stuff to do. I'm so glad he's okay._

She sighed in relief.

"Well, it's been so great seeing you again. I'm so glad you're safe, we were starting to fear the worst! But we better go now if we don't wanna miss the big sales in the next town we're going to!" Yuna flew forwards and gave Kira one last hug.

Rikku joined in too. Paine stayed back, respectively.

"Don't go getting yourself into anymore trouble, or you'll have me to deal with. Got that?" Paine smirked.

Kira nodded, grinning. "Just as long as you guys stay out of trouble, too!"

"We can handle a little trouble, can't we? 'Cause we're...Y!"

"R!"

"P!"

"Gullwings of Friendly Neighbourhood!"

The three girls jumped into a cute battle stance. Paine breathed a short laugh before disappearing in a puff of sparkling white smoke. Rikku giggled, making a peace sign with her fingers as she disappeared as well. "Later tater~!" Yuna bowed and smiled, "Bye now! I hope we see each other again soon!" she sang as she vanished in a white flash.


	11. Aloha!

_Riku…please come back..._

_You can apologise all you want, but your friends will never ever hear you...!_

_To bring pain to others…you have to be hurting..._

___SHUT UP!_ You don't get to take pity on me...!

_Kira will come for me! My best friend…will come for me...!_

___I SAID SHUT UP_!

Tsuki gasped as she warped back into reality, shaking herself out of her lingering memories. That had been the first time since that day that she had thought about her death. As a Nobody, she never dreamed. Never thought about anything at all in her silent sleep. Even her subconscious mind in the form of a spirit had better things to worry about. So now, as the horrible memories were spiralling through her mind, she relived the terror and pain all over again. It was the worst feeling in the whole world. She wanted to erase those memories. She didn't want to remember Ikari's murderous smile. She didn't want to remember that Riku had once been her enemy. Tsuki was panting with fear as she wished so hard in her mind that all the bad thoughts would go away.

DiZ turned from his seat at the computer in his basement and gave Tsuki a look that asked 'Are you okay?' The ginger-haired girl swallowed hard, trying to pretend like nothing had happened, and smiled brightly at the man in red.

Almost simultaneously, the Corridors of Kira, Roka and Riku appeared and the three of them stepped into dark blue basement.

"Took you guys long enough," Tsuki greeted them with a laugh.

Kira and Roka made their way over to their friend to stand next to her on one side of DiZ's computer and Riku walked over to the other side to stand by himself.

"Alright, so what's the first world we need to go to?" Riku asked, obviously trying to get the journey over with as quickly as possible.

DiZ shifted in his seat to give everyone a view of the screen in front of him. "I can pick up readings of hearts that do not belong in a world using this computer. If you'll look here, you can see that I have located a "lost heart" in this world," he told them, bringing up a World Map on the monitor.

Tsuki looked in closely and saw a blinking heart-shaped icon on a picture of a world that looked very similar to her home world, Destiny Islands. She read its name that was written in a box in the corner of the screen out loud.  
"Ohana Islands? Never heard of it."

"The world's that these people have been transported to are so far away that not even the Heartless have managed to reach them," DiZ explained.

"Is it really a good idea to travel to the worlds in Dark Portals, then?" Roka sounded concerned.

"It shouldn't do too much harm," Riku still sounded a like he was only half sure of himself.

"Hey, I remember being able to open Corridors of Light in my spirit form. Maybe Laeta can do the same?" Tsuki suggested.

"I would definitely advise you to use them whenever you can. Using the darkness as a method of travel too often can be dangerous for the person and the world they are travelling to," DiZ said.

Kira tilted her head at the picture on the screen, examining the new world intently. "So, do you know exactly who the lost people are?" she directed that question at the man in red.

DiZ shook his head slowly. "I do not. This monitor can only keep track of hearts. I have no way of telling which heart belongs to which person. I can only tell whether they belong in that world or not."

"Well, that will just make it an exciting surprise, then!" Tsuki giggled.

There was another box on the screen that had a description of the world; apparently written by DiZ himself. Tsuki leaned forward and lightly placed a fingertip on the blue glass and traced over the words as she read them, partly in her head and partly out loud. "Hm...beaches...big town area...ooh! Listen to this! 'Ohana Islands is popular for its warm beaches and a variety of shops that cannot be found in most other worlds'!"

"So?" Riku failed to see any importance in anything she had just said.

Tsuki grinned, an excited sparkle in her bright green eyes. She grabbed Riku by the arm and opened a Corridor of Darkness, pulling him in.

"Come on, Riku! We're going shopping!"

...

**Ohana Islands**

Her long ginger hair flipped from left to right as Tsuki spun quickly, hardly knowing which sight to marvel at. The golden beach seemed to stretch for miles and the ocean was deep blue with white, frothy waves crashing at the shore. Black mountains and an orange sky lined the backdrop behind a cute town.  
Tsuki turned back to the beach again and happened to notice a particularly overweight man in swimming shorts attempting to eat a mint choc chip ice cream. She couldn't help but giggle as the light green frozen goodness slowly fell off the cone and dropped onto the sand. The man simply pouted a little, a look of confusion on his face as he stared at the inedible ice cream.

Tsuki turned happily on her heels as she started to walk away from the beach. "The town's this way. I'm taking you clothes shopping!" Tsuki smiled at Riku over her shoulder.

Riku power-walked after her, his arms swinging at his sides. "I don't think so. We need-"

"Ah! I know what you're going to say!" Tsuki started to imitate Riku's low voice. "_We need to look for the missing person, bleh bleh bleh._"

Riku folded his arms, obviously not amused. "Good. I'm glad you understand that. So let's go search the town and-"

"Look, if I'm going to be saving anyone, I'm _not _going to be doing it in this outfit. Neither are you. You look like some creepy guy who follows little girls into dark alleys," Tsuki smirked.

"This coat is necessary for travelling in Dark Corridors. There's nothing creepy about it. And would you stop interrupting-!"

"Trust me, if you don't want people to run away screaming when they see you, you'll let me find you some new clothes."

Riku sighed, deciding to pick his battles and give in for now. _This girl is hopeless. I can't even believe my heart is connected to hers._

...

Tsuki pushed open the glass sliding door to the nearest clothing store she found and hopped onto it's blue carpet. Riku trudged in after her.

"Aloha! How can I help you today?" a tan-skinned woman at the counter greeted them with a welcoming smile.

"We'll be alright, thanks," Tsuki smiled back politely.

She and Riku were the only other people in shop, so Riku leaned in a little closer and talked in a quiet murmur so that the shop owner didn't hear him. "Tsuki, I _really _don't need any new clothes."

"Oh, don't be silly. You've grown _heaps _since I last saw you! The clothes you're wearing must be so uncomfortable!" Tsuki hissed back in a louder whisper. "I think I'll get some clothes for Kira, too."

She walked over to the section of the shop where the shirts were kept, hanging from bars along the walls on coat-hangers. She flicked her hands over each one, looking for a shirt that was to her liking. Riku looked away in embarrassment as Tsuki let out an exaggerated gasp as she pulled out a long dark blue singlet-style top with black ruffles at the bottom.

"Perfect! Hold this for me," she swung it over Riku's arm. He stood there with a tired look on his face.

She then stepped lightly across the shop, a simple pair of black tights catching her eye. She threw those over Riku's arm as well.

By the time she had found a complete outfit, she took the clothes from Riku, piled them into her own arms, and shuffled into the changing rooms at the back of the shop. Riku found a clear space on the wall to lean against while he waited.

It only took about five minutes before Tsuki came out again. She was dressed in the long blue top and tights, as well as a white hoodie with 3/4 length sleeves and a pair of short dark grey boots. The ruffles on the top were long and it made it look more like a short dress than a shirt.

Riku was a little confused as to why Tsuki looked so sad all of a sudden.

"I don't have any munny," she said in a depressed tone.

Riku pursed his lips in frustration, but managed to calm himself by breathing out slowly. "Dammit. Fine, I'll pay."

Tsuki blinked her wide eyes a couple of times. "Y-you will?"

"Yeah, whatever. If it'll make you happy," his words made it seem like he was trying to be nice, but he had an annoyed tone in his voice.

Tsuki gasped loudly, a big smile appearing on her face. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're amazing, Riku!"

She stepped forward to give him a hug, but he quickly extended a hand, placing it firmly on her shoulder to stop her. "I _really _don't do hugs," he said curtly.

Tsuki just gave him a cute 'hmph' and turned to start rummaging through the clothes again. She found a full outfit for Kira; a light green and blue t-shirt with a black and white vest, black shorts and black sneakers.

Riku paid for the clothes and they received a bag to put Kira's new outfit in. The kind shop owner offered to take Tsuki's old clothes and give them to a second-hand shop for her. She was a little sad to get rid of them like that, but she knew that she didn't have any use for them anymore and gladly accepted her offer.

"Alright, now we need to look for your clothes!"

"There probably won't be anything I'll like," Riku mumbled.

Tsuki ignored him and walked over to the shirt section of the shop. She pulled out the first one she saw; a yellow t-shirt with a picture of a rainbow on it. Obviously made for a girl. "How about this? You'll look so cute!"

"No."

Tsuki laughed in amusement and put the shirt back. She went to the other side of the store where the pants were kept and flicked through them until she found a nice pair of blue jeans that looked about Riku's size. She pulled them off the bar they were hanging from and held them out for him to see. She gave him a questioning look, waiting to hear his opinion on them.

Riku folded his arms and walked closer to her to get a better look. He took them from her and looked them over. "These are actually kinda nice," he said, placing them over his arm.

Tsuki felt very proud of herself and hid a smirk. Riku walked over to the shirts and had a good look through them. He eventually pulled out a short white vest with a yellow collar. "There. This'll do."

Tsuki's eyes widened. "Y-you can't just wear that and nothing else! It's too short, it'll show off your midriff and everything..." She could feel herself blushing as that image clouded her mind. She shook it out of head as fast as she could.

Riku stared at the vest for a while. "You think so? Alright, I'll wear this underneath, then." He pulled out a black singlet-style top that had a two zips down the front; one at the bottom and one at the top.

Tsuki nodded. "Yep, that's better. Oh, and these shoes will look good, too," she found some grey sneakers and handed them over to Riku as well.

He silently walked into the nearest changing room and Tsuki awkwardly placed her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited for him. Riku only took about a minute before he came back out again, holding his coat in one arm and his old yellow shirt, blue pants and sneakers in the other. He paid for his new outfit and handed over his old one to the shop owner, getting a bag to put his black coat in. Then he left the store as fast as he could with Tsuki jogging behind him.

"There, don't you feel so much better?" Tsuki giggled once they were outside.

Riku looked away, smiling a little. "I guess. So, now can we go look for-"

"Nope! I'm not quite done yet!" Tsuki started following the footpath on the side of the quiet street, looking for her next destination.

"What do you want, _now?_" Riku sighed.

Tsuki pushed open the door to a shop a ran inside. Riku decided not to go in this time and waited for her on the sidewalk with his arms folded. The ginger-haired girl ran out again quickly, holding a small bag hand in her hand.

"What's in there?" Riku asked curiously, leaning over to try and look inside it.

"Scissors," Tsuki declared happily.

Riku paused for a second, staring at her. "Scissors...?"

"Scissors. And a camera."

"What...what do you need-?"

"To cut my hair, silly! My fringe has grown so much, it's getting really annoying!" she brushed her long hair out of her face, only to have most of it fall back down again.

Riku nodded. "Fair enough. Just keep those things away from me," he took a step back.

"Why? You could do with a haircut too, you know," she grinned devilishly.

Riku took two steps back this time, holding his hands up in front of him. "No, no, I really don't."

Tsuki stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, if you won't let me cut your hair, then you have to at least let me take a picture of you," she swung her arm over his shoulder before he could protest, taking the camera out of the bag. "Say cheese!" she grinned, holding it out in front of them and snapping a photo.

A glossy piece of paper slid out the bottom of it, revealing a picture of Tsuki's smiling face and Riku looking particularly annoyed.

She giggled, putting the camera and the photo back into the bag as she started to walk down the footpath again. Riku followed after her quickly.

"Where are you going now?" he sounded like he didn't really want to hear the answer.

"To find the 'lost heart', of course!" she said, keeping her eyes on the road ahead of her.

"Ugh," was the only reply that Riku could think of.

...

Riku phased out most of the conversation Tsuki tried to have with them as the walked past each shop on the quiet street, finding every word she said to be painfully annoying. _Seriously, do I even have anything in common with this girl? There's no way our hearts can be connected... _Tsuki continued to talk happily, mostly to herself as Riku would only reply with the same monotone 'mmhmm' sound.

It didn't take long before they spotted a little girl in a long red dress walking a little further ahead of them, dragging a cat-carrier along with her. As the barred entrance to the container was facing them, Tsuki and Riku could see a strange yellow light shining from inside it.

"What the heck is that...?" Tsuki started to walk faster to catch up with the girl. "Excuse me? Hey!"

The tan-skinned girl stopped and looked over her shoulder to see who was calling her.

"Hi! I'm Tsuki and this is Riku," Tsuki gestured to her silver-haired companion. "What's your name?"

"Um...Lilo?" the short Hawaiian girl sounded very suspicious.

"Nice to meet you, Lilo! Uh, say, what have you got in there?" Tsuki pointed at the cat carrier in the Lilo's right hand.

Lilo shifted her eyes left and right, as if she was looking to see if anyone else was around. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to get closer to Tsuki who was a lot taller than her. "I think I can trust you. Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered.

Tsuki smiled and nodded, leaning down so that her face was closer to Lilo's. Riku listened in hard as well as Lilo spoke quietly into Tsuki's ear.

"There's an angel in there," the little girl said, very seriously.

Tsuki blinked, "An...angel?" she whispered back, standing up again.

Lilo nodded. "Yep. A tiny little angel. Well, at least I'm _pretty _sure that it is. Actually, I was just on my way to the pet store to get them to check it out for me."

"Oh, I see..." Tsuki was actually incredibly confused.

"What does this 'angel' look like?" Riku asked.

Lilo set the cat-carrier on the ground so that both her hands were free. "She's about this big," she made the size of about 5 inches with her hands. "She's got blonde hair and blue eyes. Oh yeah, and she's wearing a little green dress and her wings are really pretty."

Riku and Tsuki both looked at each other at the same time. "Can we see her?" Riku asked.

Lilo nodded and Tsuki knelt down on the concrete, peering through the bars of the cat carrier. She gasped when she saw a familiar fairy, Tinker Bell, sitting at the back of the large container, looking very depressed. Tsuki looked back up at Riku. "Found it," she confirmed.

"Great. Look, Lilo, I'm sorry to tell you, but that's actually not an angel," Riku said matter-of-factly.

Lilo gasped, "You're wrong! She is! I wished for her on a flying star and everything!"

Tsuki stood up again. "I'm sorry Lilo, but she has to go back to where she belongs now."

"No! You're not taking her away!" Lilo hugged the cat carrier on the ground, looking close to tears.

Tsuki bit her lip, not sure what to say. "She looks really sad. I mean, wouldn't you feel lost and afraid if you were in a place that wasn't your home?"

A tear ran down Lilo's cheek as she leaned it against the top of the container. She was silent for a long time and Tsuki and Riku waited anxiously for her to make a decision.

"Okay. I'll let her go," Lilo said finally.  
She reached over and unlatched the door of the cat-carrier. Tinker Bell jingled loudly, smiling brightly at Tsuki and Riku as she flew out of it. Then she turned to wave goodbye to Lilo before shooting off into the sky.

"Thanks, Lilo. You did the right thing," Tsuki patted her head affectionately.

Lilo smiled sadly. "It's just...I get pretty lonely sometimes. I just wanted a friend. Someone who actually likes me and won't run away."

"You just have to open your heart."  
Tsuki turned to look at Riku as he spoke up. Lilo stared up at him, blinking in confusion.

"All you have to do is open your heart to the people around you and believe in yourself. You'll find a friend someday," Riku did his best to smile reassuringly.

Lilo blinked a couple more times before returning his smile. "Okay. I'll try."

Tsuki stood there in silence, pleased with how everything had turned out. Lilo quickly filled the silence with a short gasp.

"Oh! I better go, or I'll be late for my hula lesson!" she picked up the cat-carrier and started jumping down the street with it as fast as she could.  
"It was nice to meet you! See you later!" Lilo beamed as she quickly looked back over her shoulder.

Tsuki waved. "Bye, Lilo!"

Riku sighed as the little girl became smaller and smaller in his vision as she hopped down the footpath. "Come on, let's get back to the mansion."

Tsuki looked up at him as he opened a Corridor of Darkness. "You really helped her, you know. That was good advice," she complimented him genuinely.

Riku looked down at her and gave a satisfied 'hmph.'

And having nothing more to say on the matter, the two of them stepped into the portal to return to Twilight Town.

...

**Twilight Town**

"Is this a good spot?"

"Um, can you move it this way a little?"

"This way?"

"No, _this _way. A little more to the right."

"How's this?"

Tsuki and Riku arrived just in time to see the changes that were being made to the White Room. Kira was lying on a sofa which had been placed on one wall, holding her Keyblade in the air, swinging it slightly. There was a white piano against the wall that was adjacent to the door on the left side. Two girls were helping to push it to the right place as Roka told them where to move it. Laeta and Tristis leaned against the piano, breathing a little hard from all the exhausting work they had just done.

"Damn, that piano was heavy," Tristis gasped.

"You can say that again." Laeta looked up and smiled as she caught sight of Tsuki. "Welcome back! I love your new outfit!"

Tsuki just stood there for a few seconds, marvelling at the two beings in front of her. Tristis and Laeta. They looked like unique individuals now. Their hair colour, eye colour, height, nose shape, face shape...they were completely different from each other. It was easy to tell them apart, not just because Laeta's hair was a light pastel orange and Tristis had a dark reddish brown colour, or because Laeta had bright blue eyes and Tristis had a deep red. But it was their entire face, too. They were completely different. Their voices were, as well. Laeta's was soft and a little quiet, and Tristis had a low husky tone to hers.

"Uh...I, uh, where did you get those from?" Tsuki stuttered, trying to find some way to fill the deafening silence she had created.

"These?" Laeta flicked a finger back and forth, gesturing to the piano and the sofa.

"Got them from the Dalmatian's House in Traverse Town," Tristis said, expression hardly changing.

"The dogs were nice enough to let us borrow them for a while," Laeta smiled with closed eyes.

Tsuki just nodded absent-mindedly, then shook her head hard and smiled, trying to keep her cool.

"DiZ thought it might be nice if Kira and I had something to do while you guys are off on your little adventure," Roka explained, laughing at Tsuki's reaction, "I wanted to play piano and Kira wanted to sleep. So he sent Tristis and Laeta to Traverse Town to get these for us and bring them back here in one of those Dark Portal things."

Tsuki walked closer to Laeta and stared at her, then placed her gaze on Tristis, giving her the same curious look. _Wow, Naminé did a really good job..._

"Alright, let me just figure all this out. Do you...have the same memories as me?" she asked seriously.

Tristis nodded once. "Yeah. We remember everything. Like when you first met Kira-"

"And when you fought Riku in Hollow Bastion," Laeta finished her sentence.

"This is just amazing..." Tsuki couldn't think of a better response.

Tristis gave a short 'hmph'. Laeta tilted her head a little and smiled, her face lighting up with radiance and warmth. "We'll help you on your journey in any way we can," she said softly.

Tsuki returned her smile with an excited grin, giggling as she jumped towards the girl in white, taking her hands and jumping up and down a few times. "I can't wait!" she cried.

Riku stood back from the girly spectacle as usual. As he was staring at nothing in particular, he suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching him and glanced over at the three girls. His eyes immediately locked onto Tristis', who was apparently the cause of the weird feeling that Riku had felt. The dark haired girl quickly blinked and jerked her head away, pretending that she hadn't been staring at him just a moment ago. Riku was a little confused, but decided not to read into it too much.

"Roka, play something!" Kira pushed herself up on the sofa and grinned eagerly.

Roka didn't need to be asked twice and pushed back the piano stool, sitting himself down in front of the beautiful white instrument. He placed his hands lightly on the keys, deciding on a song to play. As he finally made up his mind and started to play the pretty tune, Tsuki and Laeta gasped in unison as they recognised the song immediately. Tsuki started to sing along to the soft piano music.

"_The rain outside/fills your heart tonight./Sky is dark/Like your eyes now._"

Laeta smiled warmly as she started to sing along, adding a harmony. "_As you break down/like no one can see./I'll comfort you/There's no one that can hurt you now._"

Tristis quietly began to sing a lower version of the melody. "_You can hold my hand./Silently, telling you that/I love you/And I always will._"

"_You're my angel/And I'll always be yours._" Roka finished it off, smiling as he sang quietly, tapping out the complicated piano piece at the same time.

Tsuki giggled as Roka continued to play, hardly noticing Riku slowly walking towards her with his pupils dilated and his face deathly white.

"What is that song?"

"Hm?" Tsuki jerked her head up to look at Riku who was now standing right in front of her.

"What...what is that song? Where did you hear it?" he murmured in a low voice.

Tsuki tilted her head in confusion, then smiled a little. "Well, I wrote it, actually."

Riku swallowed hard."Oh. When did you write it?"

"Um...when I was ten-years-old, I think. Six years ago?"

"Six years ago..." Riku stared off into the distance, his face becoming more pale with each passing second. "Well, um, it's nice. I like it," he said, quickly covering up his initial reaction.

"Oh, well, thanks!" Tsuki beamed, more focused on the fact that Riku was complimenting her rather than how strange he had been acting.

Riku turned and headed for the door. "I'll go and see if DiZ has found the next 'lost heart'," he said, leaving before anyone could reply.

Tsuki smiled after him. She suddenly realised the shopping bag that she was holding and quickly turned to look at Kira on the sofa.  
"Oh yeah, Kira, I got you some new clothes!"

Kira jumped up from the sofa. "Wow, really? That's so nice!"

"Let's go to the bathroom. I'll give your hair a trim as well!" Tsuki skipped towards the door, taking Kira by the hand and pulling her along excitedly.


	12. Let Me Be Good To You

**Traverse Town**

The pillow was completely soaked with Ikari's tears as she screamed into it as loud as humanly possible. The angry, lost, confused, miserable sound tore at her throat, but she wasn't planning to stop any time soon. Screaming was the only thing that eased her pain, the only way that she could express every emotion that built up inside her heart at the same time.

She had been searching for Yori. She had had been to every world she could think of, trying to find her only brother. For almost a whole year. Lately, it was becoming too much for her to handle. It was hard to accept that Yori was hiding from her. That she would never find him because he simply didn't want her to.

"Shut up! People are trying to sleep here!" Ikari could hear the muffled yelling of one of the angry neighbours in another room in the hotel.

She finally stopped screaming and let her body fall further into the bed, hardly bothering to control the gasping fit she was having between her loud sobs. Her long curly black hair was a mess and her fringe was falling all over her bright blue eyes. She rolled over onto her back, arms out at her sides as she stared up at the red ceiling.

Ikari would spend whole days in her room in the hotel in Traverse Town, lying on her bed trying to sleep the bad feelings away. She had tried to use her powers to inflict pain on herself so many times, only to find that it was impossible for her to do so. She used the Heartless as a source of munny, finding weak ones to take out in the worlds she travelled to and taking the treasure they dropped. She only ever used the munny to pay for the hotel room, though.

Ikari's life had become such a meaningless chore that she could hardly even find any point in living it anymore. But death scared her more than anything in the whole world. She had seen the look on Tsuki's face as she drained the life from her body. She had been in pain. So much pain. Ikari had become afraid of the one thing that had got her through life up until now: taking a life.

_How did it come to this_, she asked herself for the hundredth time, curling up into a ball on the top sheet.

Lying there on the small bed, she could feel lost, unwanted memories trying to float back into her mind. She'd spent years pushing them away, but now as the present was becoming too difficult to bear, the only thing she could do now was reflect on the past.

_"I'm Arleen and this is my buddy, Tai!" _

_"Arleen...I think I love him." _

_"If this is the way things are, then I'm leaving."_

_"Please don't go, Tai! _Taishi!_"_

_..._

_..._

_..._

...

**Twilight Town**

Tsuki gave her hair one last shake as she stepped into the basement, headed towards the computer where Riku, Tristis, Laeta and DiZ had been waiting for her. She had given her ginger bangs a good trim and they were now roughly the same length they were a year ago. As for the rest of her hair, she had decided to leave it the length it had grown, flowing all the way down to her hips. Feeling refreshed and in a particularly good mood, she was more than ready to travel to the next world.

"Wow, Tsuki, you look great!" Laeta greeted her with a smile.

"Thanks," Tsuki grinned back. "So where are we headed, DiZ?"

"I've located a 'lost heart' reading in this world," DiZ pointed to a picture on the screen.

Tsuki leaned in close and read the name of it out loud. "Mousedom? As in...a town full of mice?"

DiZ nodded once. "Yes. So, in order to somewhat blend in with the other residents, you will be shrunk down to their size when you arrive in this world."

"I don't know if I like that idea..." Tristis said worriedly.

"Come on, Tris! This'll be a great adventure!" Laeta encouraged her as she took hold of the protesting girl's arm.

"Alright, let's get going. Laeta, can you open a Corridor of Light?" Riku turned away from the screen to face her.

The girl in white nodded, holding out a hand and creating a shining portal of white. "After you," she gestured for the others to go through.

...

**Mousedom**

The Corridor took the party to a world bathed in midnight, where the black sky was covered in grey clouds and only a few stars were visible. The air was chilly, most likely because they were standing on a wooden bridge that stretched across an icy cold lake. Tsuki breathed out, watching a white steam cloud swirl from her mouth as she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering a little. She noticed that Laeta was doing the same. The only people who didn't seem to mind the cold were Tristis and Riku.

Two silhouettes could be seen briskly coming towards them, and soon enough, Tsuki was able to make out the figures of two mice; one tall and slim, the other short and pudgy.

"Basil, I feel utterly ridiculous!" the short one was saying.

"Don't be absurd. You look perfect," the tall one replied.

Tsuki gave Riku a look, confirming that it was okay to approach the two mice. Riku nodded in response.

"Hey, excuse me?" Tsuki stepped forward as the two figures were now close enough to be completely visible.

The tall light brown-coloured mouse, wearing a long dark blue coat and hat, stopped in front of the group and stared at them. "My, you certainly aren't like any mice I've ever seen!" he declared in his posh British accent.

"We're not mice," Riku was quick to establish that fact.

"Look, don't worry about that. My name's Tsuki, and this is Riku, Tristis and Laeta," she pointed to each person as she labelled them. "Do you two think you could help us out with something?"

The tall mouse smiled, a wise look in his eyes. "Basil of Baker Street, at your service. And allow me to introduce my partner, Dr. David Q. Dawson," he gave a slight bow.

"Please, just call me Dawson," the short mouse insisted. He was wearing a tight red striped shirt, a blue sailors hat and a black eye patch over his right eye.

"While I am in midst of solving a case, I shall try to be of assistance to the best of my ability," Basil said.

"Ooh, so you're a detective?" Laeta gushed.

"You are quite correct, my dear. Now, what sort of trouble are you in?"

"We're looking for someone. A person who doesn't really fit into this world, kinda like us," Tsuki explained.

"I don't believe we've come across anyone like that," Dawson put his tiny hand on his large chin as he thought.

"Perhaps you would like to come along with us so you can look for this person? We're just on our way to that inn up ahead," Basil suggested.

Riku looked over his shoulder, seeing a small pub with yellow light bursting from the windows not too far away from the bridge they were standing on. "It looks a little risky."

"I think we'll be safe if we're with these two," Tsuki decided.

...

As they entered the bar, they were greeted with music from an old piano and the smell of cigarette smoke. Mice were seated at round wooden tables, each one with a glass in their hands as they played cards or sat in silence, drowning whatever miseries they had in the alcohol they were drinking. Tristis and Laeta both coughed quietly in unison as the uncomfortable atmosphere assaulted their senses.

Basil led the group to an empty table that was big enough for everyone to sit around, and a tall waitress came over to serve them.

"Two pints. For me and my shipmate," Basil ordered in an gruff accent that resembled that of a pirate.

The fat waitress nodded, then turned to Tsuki and the others. "What'll it be?"

"Oh, we're not old enough to-"

"A raspberry cider, please!" Tsuki interrupted Riku's sensible statement.

Riku gave her a shocked look. Laeta and Tristis became very worried when the waitress placed their eyes on them. They both shook their heads, signalling that they didn't want anything. The waitress nodded and left.

Tsuki grinned, rather pleased with herself.

"So, what exactly are you investigating here," Tristis asked the detective, curiously.

Basil narrowed his eyes, leaning in close so that none of the other mice might overhear what he was about to say. "Somewhere under this very bar just happens to be the lair of the most dastardly villain in all of Mousedom. Professor Ratigan," he whispered the name quietly in his normal accent. "I've been on his trail for _years_, and now I'm so close I can almost smell him. I know that the entrance will be around here somewhere, so for now, I'll just have to keep my eyes open."

Tsuki nodded absent-mindedly, looking around at the other mice in the bar. It was then that she noticed another waitress who was serving someone on the other side of the room. She was wearing a blue dress with a white apron and her long blonde hair was tied up with a black ribbon. The most important thing about her, however, was that she was most definitely not a mouse.

"Hey Riku...?" she pushed herself closer as she murmured to him. "Who's that over there?"

Riku leaned back in his chair a little as he tilted his head, following Tsuki's gaze. Seeing the very out-of-place waitress, he breathed in a short gasp.  
"That's Alice. She's the 'lost heart'," he confirmed.

"You've met her?" Tsuki wondered.

"I guess you could say that," Riku replied quietly, turned back to the table. "I'd rather not go into any more detail, if you don't mind. I do wonder why she's working as a waitress here, though..."

"More importantly, we need to find a way to get her out of here without causing too much trouble."

"Is that the person you're looking for?" Dawson asked, not being able to help overhearing their conversation.

Riku and Tsuki both nodded.

"We should call her over here," Laeta suggested.

Riku turned around in his chair again, cupping his hand around his mouth as he called to the waitress. "Alice!" he tried to be subtle about it, but a few mice in in tables in front of him looked up from their drinks to give Riku odd stares.

Luckily, Alice heard him the first time and spun around to see who was talking to her. Riku used a quick hand gesture to tell her to come over to them and soon enough, the short blonde girl was standing right next to their table.

Getting a good look Riku, she gasped and took a step back. "You!" she covered her mouth in shock.

Riku quickly raised a hand to calm her. "Don't worry, we're here to help you," he said in a low voice.

Alice glared at him. "The last time I saw you, you _kidnapped _me! How do you expect me to believe-?"

"You can trust us. We're going to get you out of here," Tsuki said, seriously.

Alice looked at Tsuki, then at Riku, then back at Tsuki again, struggling to decide whether or not she should trust them. "Even so, I don't think that's going to be possible. These filthy _rats _simply don't want me to leave!"

"What do you mean by that?" Laeta asked, confused.

Alice sighed as she started to explain. "I somehow found myself in this strange world a couple of days ago. I ended up wandering into this bar looking for help, and as soon as the mice saw me, they wouldn't let me walk back out that door no matter how hard I tried to get out! The waitress here decided to give me a job since the mice liked me so much, and I've been working here ever since. I'm so fed up with this, I just want to go home!"

Tsuki looked at Riku, worriedly. "If we're going to get her out, then we're going to have to be really sneaky about it."

Riku put a hand on his chin, deep in thought. _And we can't just send her back to her world in a Corridor. That would just confuse everyone, and they're all intoxicated, so that might cause more trouble than we need if they decide to start a fight once they find out that we took Alice away. Dammit..._

Alice gasped when she heard the waitress calling her and quickly jogged over to see what she wanted.

"Hey, you! You there!"

Tsuki looked up, seeing a white female mouse wearing a pink dress running up to them.

"Can you sing?" she panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Um..." Tsuki was a little cautious and wasn't sure if she should tell the truth.

"Yeah, she can sing," Tristis replied for her.

"Wait, why are you asking?" Tsuki was quick to try and get the full story before she was asked to do anything crazy.

"Oh, it's awful! Me and two other girls are supposed to perform on stage tonight, but our leader fell down the stairs and broke her ankle! We can't perform without her! Please, please, _please _can you three do our routine for us? I'll teach you the song and the dance and everything, it's not that hard!" the mouse put her paws together, giving Tsuki, Tristis and Laeta a desperate, wide-eyed stare.

The three girls exchanged questioning looks.

"Er, sure, we can do that! We'll just need a minute, if that's alright," Tsuki replied finally.

The mouse nodded, "Okay, meet me in the dressing room when you're ready! It's right through the door next to the stage!" she called out as she ran off.

"You're not serious, right?" Tristis had turned pale with anxiety.

Tsuki placed her hands on the table as she leaned forward. "Yes, I'm very serious! This is the perfect way to get Alice out of here without the other mice noticing!"

"You're saying you have a plan?" Riku sounded a little sceptical about it.

"Yeah. Alright, this is what we need to do..."

...

It seemed relatively simple in theory: Tsuki, Laeta and Tristis would perform on stage. This would act as a distraction, turning the attention of the mice towards them and making them forget about Alice. As soon as every mouse in the bar was well and truly engrossed in the performance, Tsuki would give Riku a signal that meant that it was safe for him to take Alice and leave with her. With himself, Basil and Dawson acting as a shield, they could easily sneak her past the waitress and the bartender and out the front door. Laeta and Riku agreed that it was worth a shot and Basil and Dawson were willing to help. But Tristis was incredibly against the idea.

As soon as Tsuki had finished explaining the plan, Alice came over again with drinks for her and the two mice. She set the three fizzing beverages down on the table in front of whoever they belonged to.

"Your raspberry cider," she said to Tsuki in a sad tone.

"Thanks," Tsuki grinned as she slid the glass closer to her and took a sip from it. Feeling a sharp buzz in her head, she shut her eyes tightly as she cringed. "And don't worry, Alice. We're going to get you out of here. You can count on it!" she croaked.

Alice smiled a little as she left to go and wait on another table.

"I'm not dancing on that stage," Tristis said firmly.

Tsuki took another gulp of the cider, and then pushed the glass towards Tristis, smirking a little. "Yes you are."

Tristis looked down at the cider in front of her, then back up at Tsuki again.

"Oh go on, have some! I'm sure if you even have just a little bit, you'll forget about being nervous and have some fun up there!" Tsuki insisted.

Scowling a little at the glass, Tristis picked it up and held it to her face. She hesitated a little before pulling it closer to her lips. "Oh, what the hell." She closed her mouth over the rim, tilted her head back and swallowed three or four mouthfuls of the raspberry cider.

She coughed loudly, setting the glass on the table with a bit too much force, making it splash a little. Laeta patted the red-head on the back, nervously trying to stop her coughing fit.

"Okay, let's do this!" Tristis stood up suddenly, knocking over the short stool she was sitting on.

...

"What's taking them so long," Riku sighed, folding his arms on the table and lying his head in them. He had been waiting at the table in silence while Tsuki went off with Laeta and Tristis for about fifteen minutes now.

"In their defence, they do have to learn a whole song and dance routine in only a short amount of time," Basil smiled knowingly.

Riku gave a short 'hmph' in response.

"Just out of curiosity, what kind of relationship do you have with that Tsuki girl?" Dawson asked.

Riku glanced up slightly from the table. "What are you asking, exactly?"

"Is she a _special _friend?" Basil leaned in closer and smirked a little.

Pushing himself back up into a sitting position, Riku stared with a shocked expression. "What? No! No, it's nothing like that!"

Basil tilted his head. "Oh, really? I suppose I've been given the wrong impression, then. I could have sworn I sensed a spark between you two."

"And he's hardly ever wrong," Dawson smiled.

Riku shook his head, frowning. "No. I'd hardly even call her a _friend_. We don't even have anything in common." _There I go again...why do I even care so much about finding something that the two of us have in common?_

With a twinkling of a scale played on the piano, the curtains on the stage parted and Tsuki was revealed, wearing a long blue skirt, a pink shawl and a blue bow in her hair. She was wearing make up, too; blue eye shadow, red lipstick and a light coat of blusher.

The mice all looked up from whatever they were doing to stare at the pretty girl on stage as she nervously placed her hands behind her back. Taking a deep breath, she started to sing.

"_Dearest friends, dear gentlemen. Listen to my song.  
Life down here's been hard for you, life has made you strong.  
__Let me lift the mood...with my attituuuude!_"

A mouse sitting at a drum kit started to play a steady beat along with the piano, making the other mice rock their heads back in forth in time.

"_Hey fellas, the time is right. Get ready, tonight's the night!  
Boy's, what you're hoping for will come true.  
Let me be good to you."_

Tsuki decided to kick things up a notch and started to slowly strut across the stage in her blue high heels as she sang, showing off her powerful vocals and perfect rhythm.

"_You tough guys. You're feeling all alone.  
You rough guys. The best of you sailors and bums. All of my chums!  
So dream on, and drink your beer. Get cosy, your baby's here!  
You won't be misunderstood..."_

She started to slink back behind the half-closed curtains, taking both of them in her hands as she started to pull them shut.

"_Let me be good...to yooooou!"_

The band started to play faster and louder, giving the crowd an exciting build-up to the next part of the song. After a couple of seconds, the curtains opened again. Tsuki wasn't wearing the shawl anymore and the top half of a light blue strapless leotard with a low neckline was showing. She was wearing black elbow-length gloves as well. Tristis and Laeta were standing beside her now, holding up the skirts of the big pink dresses they were wearing as they danced along with her.

"_Hey fellas! I'll take off aaaaall myyyy bluuuuues._"

A chorus of cheers from the audience started up as Tsuki took hold of her blue skirt and pulled it off, tossing it to the side of the stage with an elegant sweep. The rest of the leotard was visible now, as well as the big blue feathers which she wore on her hips. Some mice even tried to climb up onto the stage just to get a better look at the risqué vision they saw before them.

"_Hey fellas! There's nothing I won't do...just for you!_"

Tsuki pointed at Riku and winked, trying to work the gesture into the dance as well as trying to make Riku understand what she was trying to say.

That was the signal. Riku was supposed to get up from his seat now and take Alice outside. He knew the plan and understood it well. And any second now, he was going to follow through with it. Any second now...

His legs wouldn't move. Neither would his eyes which stayed super-glued to the performance that Tsuki was giving on stage. He just sat there with his mouth half open, staring. He had never really thought of Tsuki as being pretty before. He had never really had any opinion on her looks before, actually. But now he couldn't help but notice it. He couldn't help but notice how long and soft her ginger hair was. How sparkly her bright green eyes were. The shape of her body and how well that revealing leotard fit it...

Tsuki was more than a little confused as to why Riku wasn't doing what he was supposed to. She tried to keep swaying side to side in time with the music during the instrumental part of the song, but she could feel her movements becoming awkward and clumsy as she became more and more uneasy with the way Riku was looking at her.

_W-why is he staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face? Oh god, I do, don't I! Seriously, why isn't he doing anything?!_

Tristis and Laeta were so into the dance routine that they didn't even bother to worry about the plan at this stage. Laeta was genuinely enjoying herself and Tristis was too tipsy to care about anything else.

"Riku! Riku!"

Riku finally snapped out of it when Basil shook him roughly by the shoulder. He spun around quickly, his long silver hair flipping up behind him.

"Come on, we have to get Miss Alice now!" Basil pulled him to his feet with a tug of his muscly arm.

"Oh, uh, right," Riku felt an unfamiliar burning sensation in his cheeks as he felt a sudden wave of embarrassment.

Tsuki almost forgot to sing the last verse, but quickly focused her attention back to the performance.

"_So dream on, a__nd drink your beer._  
_ Get cosy, y__our baby's here_  
_ Hey boys, I'm talkin' to you!_"

"Alice!" Riku stepped lightly across the wooden floor with Basil and Dawson following behind him as they headed for the girl in the blue dress.

Alice looked back over her shoulder at them with an inquisitive expression on her face. She gave a short gasp as Riku seized her hand and started to lead her across the bar with Basil and Dawson acting as shields to conceal her from the other mice.

"_Your baby's gonna come through!  
Let me...be good...to...yooooooou!"_

With a spin and a flourish, Tsuki finally came to the end of the song, finishing it off with an enthusiastic "Yeah!"

Riku was so close to the door now. He almost thought he was going to make it in time.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Unfortunately, there was one thing that Tsuki forgot to consider when she came up with their plan: the mice weren't all male. There just happened to be one girl mouse, a woman in a green dress, who of course hadn't been very interested in the performance. And she just happened to notice Riku, Basil and Dawson as they were sneakily leading Alice to the door.

The woman's sudden outburst attracted the attention of the mice sitting beside her, and then eventually everyone had their heads turned towards the entrance of the bar where Riku stood frozen with an anxious expression on his face, still gripping Alice's hand tightly.

"Where are you going with our waitress?!" one of the mice cried out, which was then followed by an outbreak of enraged and drunken shouts as they all charged forwards.

Riku summoned his Keyblade without thinking to block a fist which one of the mice was swinging towards him. Alice whimpered and clung to his arm. More mice charged and attacked and Riku had to push them all back with his blade while also trying not to hurt them too much.

"Dammit, this isn't good," he muttered to himself, using his arm to block another attack.

Tsuki stood there on the stage, hardly knowing how to handle the situation.

"Well, so much for my brilliant plan," she sighed as she turned to face Tristis and Laeta. "Alright, girls, let's go sort this out!"

Basil and Dawson took Alice and tried to dodge flying chairs and empty glasses as they jumped along the room, taking advantage of the rowdy event and looking for a secret way out of the bar.

Tsuki forced her way through the crowd, Keyblade in hand. Riku looked up to see that she was now dressed in her normal attire. He tried to erase the image of Tsuki from a few minutes ago from his mind, but he didn't have much luck. He looked away awkwardly.

Tsuki jumped to stand behind him, back to back with Riku. "Are you gonna tell me what happened back there?"

"What are you talking about," he muttered, pushing another mouse away with his Keyblade.

"You messed everything up! Happy now?"

"Well, I'm sorry, okay. Just forget about it, we can still Alice outta here safely."

Tristis and Laeta came running out from the room by the stage, now a flurry of black and white as they charged towards the mice with their own weapons in hand; Tristis with her spheres of darkness and Laeta with a blade of light.

Tsuki inched her way across the floor to stand next to Riku. He took a step to the side when her arm lightly brushed against his, not liking the way she was invading his personal space.

They both ducked at the same time as one of the biggest mice threw his fist in the direction of their heads. Consequently, the mouse punched another mouse who was standing close to them. The mouse who had been hit staggered back, before jumping forwards to punch the bigger mouse back. Before Tsuki and Riku knew what was happening, a huge bar fight had broken out, leaving the two of them in the centre of it. As the drunken mice lost interest in Tsuki and Riku, they finally had the opportunity to escape and find Basil again.

The mouse detective waved a paw around to call them over to a spot in the pub that was out of the way of everyone else and they crouched down beside him. Tristis and Laeta quickly followed after them.

"I found the entrance," Basil said, pulling up a secret door that was built into the wood on the floor. "Quickly, get inside!"

...

After crawling through the seemingly endless maze of underground pipes, and having to stop several times to help the tipsy Tristis who kept running into the metal and falling on her face, the party finally found themselves in an open space that looked a look like a giant wine cellar with a floor covered in dirty grey stone.

Tsuki brushed herself off. "Well! That was fun!"

"_Sure _was!" Tristis giggled, covering her mouth as she let out a loud hiccup.

"I'm certainly glad to be out of there. Thank you all so much," Alice placed her hands together as she smiled at everyone.

"And thank you for helping me to find Ratigan's lair! That scene you caused worked rather effectively," Basil bowed as he thanked Tsuki and the others.

"Just doing our job!" Tsuki winked.

"We better take our leave now. We have a rat to catch!" Basil looked at Dawson, grinning at him.

"Goodbye! Thank you all so much!" Dawson waved as Basil took him by the paw and ran off.

"Bye~!" Tsuki, Tristis and Laeta called out in unison.

Riku smiled a little before folding his arms and putting on his usual serious expression. "Right. It's time to get you home now, Alice."

Alice looked up at him with her big blue eyes. "T-thank you for helping me out. I'll...I'll forgive you now," she blushed as she placed her hands behind her back.

Riku nodded, another smile finding its way onto his lips.

Laeta held out a hand, flexed her fingers and created a Corridor of Light. "This will take you home," she beamed at the young princess.

Alice looked uncertainly at the portal, then back at Riku again. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. Riku stood there with his arms up, not quite sure how to react in this situation. Alice then quickly let go of him, tilting her head to look up at him with a warm smile. She turned and headed for the Corridor.

"Bye, everyone!" she sang as she jumped into the light.

...

**Twilight Town**

"Hey, welcome back, guys-! Um. What's wrong with Tristis?" Roka looked back over his shoulder from his seat at the piano stool and stared at the girl in black with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm _fine_! What are you- _ow_-" Tristis stopped mid-sentence as she bumped into the table. "What are you talking about?"

"Is she...is she drunk?" Kira sounded like she was finding this quite amusing.

"Just a _little_ bit," Tsuki gigged.

Laeta quickly jumped forward to hold Tristis steady as she nearly walked straight into one of the white walls.

Riku placed a hand to his forehead, not impressed in the slightest. "I have a hi-potion. That should sober her up."

"No! Not yet, at least! We should let her have her fun for a while. Besides, it'll be better if she's like this for the game I have in mind," Tsuki rubbed her hands together, smiling evilly.

"Ooh, what game, what game?" Kira sat up on the sofa excitedly.

Tsuki pulled out a chair from the white table at sat on it, crossing one leg over the other. "Truth... or Dare."

Laeta gasped, "Yes! That's a perfect idea!"

Tristis flopped onto the sofa next to Kira with a dazed sounding "Yaaaaay."

"No. We've got an important job to do. This is no time for playing stupid games," Riku said.

"We've got enough time to play a round of Truth or Dare before DiZ finds the next 'lost heart', it'll be fine! Besides, what better way is there for us to all get to know each other than playing a fun, intimate game like this?" Tsuki's mind was already whirling with evil truths and dares to give everyone.

"Yeah, come on, Riku! You scared, or something?" Tristis stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Laeta sat down on the arm of the sofa and tucked her legs up to her chest. "You can't say no, Riku! It's been decided. We're going to play whether you like it or not!"

Riku stared at everyone's eager faces before sighing loudly and pulling out a chair of his own. "Fine. Whatever," he groaned as he sat down. _It's not like it'll do any harm, I guess._

Tsuki clapped her hands together. "Right! Okay, Tristis! Truth or dare?"

Tristis tapped her lower lip with a finger as she thought. "Truth!"

Tsuki leaned forward in her chair as she grinned at her from the other side of the table. "Who would you rather date: Riku, or Roka?"

Roka's eyes widened at that question as he anxiously waited to hear the answer. Riku's expression remained unchanged.

Tristis looked at both of the boys, blushing a little. "Well...um...I guess...Roka's cute and all, but...I think I'd have to go with Riku. 'Cause, y'know...we're the same age and stuff."

Riku made a strange, shocked sound with a closed mouth and looked away slowly to hide whatever expression was forming on his face.

Tristis cleared her throat awkwardly. "Laeta, truth or dare?"

"Hm, let's see. I guess I'll have to go with 'dare'. That 'truth' was pretty mean!" Laeta decided.

"Okay, well I hope you're ready for an even meaner 'dare'! Out of all the people in this room, you have to either...kiss one of the girls...or lick one of the guys!"

Laeta stifled a gasp and whimpered. "I-I wouldn't have to kiss or lick them on the _mouth,_ would I?"

"Nah, just choose anywhere you want," Tristis decided.

Laeta smiled with closed eyes and tilted her head. "Okay!"

Before Tristis knew what was happening, Laeta leaned down and gave her a big kiss on the cheek with a cute "Mwah!"

"H-hey!" Tristis quickly brushed a hand over her face and glared at the girl in white.

"Tee-hee! Well, that's what you get. Now...Roka! Truth or dare?" Laeta looked over at the blue-haired boy.

"Um...I'm probably going to regret this, but let's go with 'dare'. Don't be too hard on me, though!" Roka looked incredibly worried.

Laeta shifted her legs on the sofa so that she was in a kneeling position. "Alright, then! You have to...tell Kira that you love her with a straight face!"

Kira's mouth dropped open and Roka frantically waved his hands in front of him as his blue eyes grew wide in shock. "N-no! I can't-!"

"You _have _to, Roka! It's the rules!" Tsuki grinned devilishly at him.

Roka gulped as he slowly turned his head towards Kira. Her amber eyes were now just as wide as his.

"O-okay, here goes. Kira...I...uh...I..."

Kira pursed her lips in anticipation, wondering if Roka was really able to say it.

Roka breathed in deeply and closed his eyes tightly. "Kira, I love you!"

Kira's cheeks turned bright red. Everyone let out a loud gasp which was then followed by a chorus of giggling.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call that a straight face, but it'll do!" Laeta was laughing so hard that she almost fell of the sofa.

Roka's eyes flicked towards Kira, then to Riku. "Okay, please can we move on and forget that ever happened? Riku, truth or dare!" he said quickly, pushing back his long fringe to wipe away the nervous sweat on his forehead.

Riku folded his arms as he casually leaned back in his chair. "Hm. Let's go with 'truth'," he decided.

"Alright...ah, I've got it! Okay, so you have four outfits: A cat outfit, a bunny outfit, a cheerleader outfit and a maid outfit. Out of all the girls in this room, which one has to wear which outfit?" Roka looked rather pleased with the 'truth' he had come up with.

Riku stifled another noise of shock and pursed his lips. An image of Tsuki in her blue leotard flashed through his mind. _Dammit, I really wish I had the power to erase memories. Why did the 'truth' have to involve outfits like that?!_

"Um...well...okay. I guess...I'd have to give Tristis and Laeta that bunny and cat outfit, 'cause they're kinda similar. Tristis can be the cat and Laeta can be the bunny," Riku mumbled.

Laeta shared a cute grin with Tristis. "We'd look so adorable!" she exclaimed.

"And...since she's always so happy and jumpy, Kira can be the cheerleader. And I guess that leaves Tsuki...with...the maid outfit," Riku closed his eyes and slowly placed a hand to his forehead.

Tsuki drew in an excited gasp. "That sounds perfect!" She jumped off her chair and bowed low, lifting up the skirts of an imaginary dress. "How may I be of service, Master Riku?"

Riku looked up, glaring intensely at her. "Shut up. Don't call me that."

Tsuki laughed, more than pleased with the reaction he had given her. She sat back down on the chair, holding her sides as she giggled uncontrollably.

Riku pursed his lips into a frown. "Kira, truth or dare?" she obviously wanted to get the game over with as fast as possible.

Kira giggled. "I think I'll have a 'dare', please."

Placing a hand to his chin, he took a moment to plan out something to make her do. "Hm...I don't know. Give Roka a hug, or something?"

"Oh, um, alright then?" Kira stood up from the sofa, nervously, and slowly inched towards the chair that Roka was sitting on.

Riku stopped her just as she was leaning down to hug the blushing boy. "No, you have to hug him from behind," he instructed.

Kira stood up straight and moved to stand behind the chair. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Roka's shoulders. "Like this?"

"And you've got to put your face really close to his," Riku ordered, his expression remaining completely emotionless.

Kira did as she was told and pressed her cheek up against Roka's. The blue-haired boy looked extremely uncomfortable.

"And you've got to whisper something creepy into his ear."

She almost looked like she was about to do it, but then Kira quickly let go of Roka and stood up straight. "Hey, you've already given me, like, three 'dares' already! Gimme a break!" she put her hands on her hips and clenched her teeth into a snarl.

Roka sat there, completely still as he tried to process what had just happened.

Riku waved his hand around a little. "Fine, fine."

"You're weird, you know that," Kira flopped back down onto the sofa. "Alright, Tsuki! Truth or dare?"

Tsuki threw a hand out and pointed at Kira dramatically. "Let's end this game with a really evil truth!" she grinned.

"Okay! Now, let's see...ooh, I know! If Riku was your slave for a day, what's the first thing you would make him do?"

Tsuki opened her mouth to answer, but as the question began to set properly in her mind, she realised that she would have to think about it a little more carefully. "Um...well I guess..." She glanced over at Riku quickly who was trying really hard to avoid eye-contact with her.

"Hm...I'd make him go shopping for me and buy me a really nice present!" Tsuki decided, smiling brightly as she tried to picture that scenario in her mind.

Riku just shook his head. "I already bought you a whole outfit, geez." He stood up from his chair and headed for the door.

"Well, I'm just saying it'd be nice! And...I guess that ends the game!" Tsuki beamed.

"That was really fun!" Laeta tilted her head to the side and smiled brightly.

Riku still had an unimpressed look on his face as he stood up and headed for the door. "Well, I guess since we have so much time on our hands, I'm gonna go check on Sora. I'll be back soon. Oh yeah, and here's that hi-potion for Tristis," he tossed it to Tsuki on his way out the door.

Tsuki was about to give him a cheeky reply, but he had already left by the time she opened her mouth. She laughed quietly to herself. _Riku sounded like he was actually enjoying himself by the end of it. He needs to smile more. I think I'll try and help him with that._

She turned her attention to Tristis who was holding onto Laeta's arm and rubbed her face against it. "Laeta, you're so pretty~" she said in a slurred voice.

Tsuki pushed herself up from the chair and waved the hi-potion bottle around as she walked towards the sofa. "Alright, it's time to take your special not-be-drunk-anymore medicine, now!"

Tristis gasped and jumped to her feet, standing on the sofa. The silver chains on her wrists made a loud rattling sound. "No! I don't need it! I'm not drunk!" she leaped off the couch and ran stumbled towards the door.

"Hey, get back here!" Tsuki grinned as she ran after her.


	13. The Evening Star

Kira shuffled down the steps to the mansion's basement and headed towards the computer where DiZ was sitting at, tapping away at the keypad as usual and Tsuki was looking over his shoulder at the screen. She poked Tsuki's arm a couple of times to get her attention and was greeted by her with a warm smile.

"Are you excited about visiting the last world?" Kira asked.

Tsuki froze for a couple of seconds. "...Last world?"

Kira nodded, "Yeah, the last world where the last 'lost heart' is! I only sealed three Keyholes, remember?"

"What?! You never told me that!"

"Oh...I didn't? Oops?" Kira rubbed the back of her head.

"You only...you..." Tsuki's eye twitched, "_Three_ Keyholes?!"

"I-I'm sorry! I'm a Keyblade bearer, I'm not necessary a _good _one!" Kira laughed awkwardly.

Tsuki paused for a moment, then smiled into a sigh as she ruffled her friends short purple hair. "You're hopeless, Kira. What am I going to do with you?"

She was laughing, but only to mask her initial reaction of shock, which was now turning into one of disappointment. _If this is the last world, then... I'll have to say goodbye to Riku really soon. Is he even going to be sad that we might not ever see each other again? Probably not. I can tell he doesn't really like me. He'll probably just forget all about me..._

Tristis and Laeta came down the stairs and joined Kira and Tsuki.

"Oh, Tristis, you were so funny!"

"Shut up, shut up! That never happened, okay?!"

Immediately afterwards, a Corridor of Darkness appeared and Riku stepped out of it. He unzipped the black coat he had been wearing, slipped his arms out of it, and tossed it on the floor.

"How's Sora doing?" Tsuki greeted him cheerfully.

"Yeah, he's alright. Do we know where the next 'lost heart' is?" Riku asked as he approached the computer.

"Here. I have located the 'lost heart' in this world," DiZ spoke up, pointing to a picture on the screen.

Tsuki and Laeta both leaned in closer to get a better look. Tsuki tried to read the name of the world out loud. "La...La Ber...La Boh..."

Laeta tilted her head from side to side as if looking at the words from a different angle would make it easier to understand them "La Buh...La...La Bow..."

"La Bouff. La Bouff Mansion," Riku read it easily without any effort at all.

Tsuki looked back at him over her shoulder and gave him a '_You're such a know-it-all_' look_._

"Alright then, let's get going!" Laeta's bare feet slapped along the floor as she jumped back from the computer and opened a Corridor of Light.

...

**La Bouff Mansion**

The party found themselves on a huge balcony that overlooked a sleepy town and had a perfect view of the beautiful star-filled sky. Tsuki stepped forward and placed her hands on the barrier, breathing in a quiet gasp as she took in the amazing scenery.

"It's just like a picture from a fairy-tale. And look! There's even a big bright wishing-star up there!" Tsuki pointed up at the sky excitedly.

Riku followed her gaze and frowned a little as he stared up at the one star that was reasonably bigger than all the others. _It's probably just an ordinary star. There's no such thing as a star that grants wishes. I guess there's no harm done if that's what she wants to believe, though._

"No! You will _not _make me wear that! Unhand me at once!"

Everyone turned around and looked at the open doors behind them that lead into the mansion itself. Tristis took a few steps forwards and pulled one of the double doors back, peering inside at whatever was causing the commotion. Getting a good look at the situation, she turned back to the others and explained it to them.

"There's three girls in there. They're all wearing party dresses or something?" she shrugged.

Riku and looked at Tsuki and they nodded at each other before they walked up to the doors and stepped through them with Tristis and Laeta following behind. They found themselves in a huge pink bedroom with a double bed against one wall and shelves upon shelves of expensive items against the others.

"Alright, what's going on here," Riku got straight to the point.

The three girls all looked up in unison, pouting their lips in confusion. They were all in their late teens, it seemed. One of them might have been in their early twenties at the most. The girl on the left had dark skin and black hair that was tied up in a tall bun, decorated with a light blue tiara. She had a long sleeveless blue dress and long gloves to match. The girl in the middle had a pale complexion that was covered completely in make-up and her blonde hair was piled on top of her head and was adorned with a silver tiara. She was holding the girl on the right by the arm. The last girl had fair skin and long brown hair that flowed down her back. She was wearing a big yellow dress with a white collar and a dark blue neck tie.

"H-how did you get in my house?!" the blonde stared at the party with wide blue eyes. She had a high-pitched Southern accent.

The brunette tore her arm away from her and stepped forward. "Please, can you help me? These strange _people _won't leave me alone!" she cried out in her British accent.

"You wouldn't happen to be lost by any chance, would you?" Riku asked her.

The brunette raised a gloved hand to her mouth as she gasped. "How did you know?"

"Don't worry, we can get you back home if you just-"

Tsuki was interrupted by the blonde as she leaped forward and pulled the brunette backwards. "She's not goin' anywhere! I'm not letting her leave until she's attended my ball, and that's that!"

"Ball? As in, a party where people dance and stuff?" Laeta asked, sounding a little more excited than she should have been in this situation.

The dark skinned girl nodded and folded her arms. "Sorry about this, my friend's being really rude. My name's Tiana and this is Charlotte La Bouff."

Tsuki introduced her party to the girls. The brunette pulled away from Charlotte again.

"I'm not doing anything with you! I want to go home!" she ran behind Riku, trying to hide.

Riku just stood there with his arms raised. "So, um, what's your name?" he asked.

"Jane. Jane Porter."

_Yeah, she's definitely the lost heart_, Riku decided.

"Okay, let's see if we can sort this out. Charlotte, you want Jane to come to your ball, right?" Tsuki decided to take control of the situation.

"Yeah! She just turned up out of nowhere and I want her to be my friend and dance with me and Tia!" Charlotte shook her fists around excitedly.

"Lottie, you know you can't just force people be your friend like that," Tiana sighed.

Riku sighed and lowered his head. _All this over some stupid party? __I will never. Understand. Women._

"What if we came to your ball instead? We'll be your friends!" Tsuki couldn't help but feel weird as she spoke to the young adult as if she were a three-year-old. But then as she thought about it, the blonde was definitely acting like one.

Charlotte gasped and waved her arms around. "You mean it? Ya'll come to my party?"

Riku resisted the urge to drive a palm into his forehead. _This isn't gonna end well, is it..._

"Yeah, we'll all dance together!" Laeta cheered.

Charlotte jumped enthusiastically. "Yes! It's a deal! Come on, I'll get y'all dressed up!" She took Tsuki in one hand and Tristis in the other and ran out of the room with them.

"She's a little eccentric, but you get used to it," Tiana smirked.

"So...can I leave now?" Jane asked anxiously.

Riku looked over at Laeta and nodded. Laeta held out a hand and summoned a Corridor of Light.

"This'll take you home," she gestured for Jane to walk into it.

Jane sighed in relief. "Thank you! Tarzan will be so worried about me!" she panted as she ran into the light.

Tiana stared in confusion as the portal disappeared, then shook her head as she decided to forget about it completely. "Well then! Laeta, was it? You should probably go and join Charlotte and your friends," she laughed a little.

Laeta nodded and left the room.

"And as for you..." she smiled up at Riku who was staring at her nervously. "We better go and find you a suit!"

...

_What is it with Tsuki and dragging me into the most cliché girly situations? Shopping...dancing... I'm exhausted, _Riku thought tiredly to himself as he stood there, staring blankly at the people dancing around the court out the back of the mansion. Lively music was playing and the couples on the dance floor were having a great time leaping about and spinning each other around. Riku was wearing a navy blue tux with a couple of the top buttons on his blazer undone, allowing the white shirt underneath to show through. _And what the hell, there's heaps of people here. It wouldn't have made a difference whether we came or not._

"Riku!"

He was lifted out of his daze as Tsuki ran up behind him. Riku turned around and blinked a couple of times when he saw her standing there in a long sleeveless, red dress a similar style to Tiana's. She took hold of the sides of it and twirled around slowly.

"What do you think?" she giggled, eager to hear his opinion.

Riku smiled, "Looks really good on you." _T__hat was weird. I just said that without being all awkward about it. Hm. Well I guess I am becoming a little more comfortable being around Tsuki. I don't find her quite as annoying anymore. It's still weird though._

Tsuki's face felt hot all of a sudden and she hoped that her blush wasn't showing too much. "Thanks! You look really great too," she replied quickly.

Riku looked behind Tsuki and saw Tristis and Laeta approach with Charlotte skipping along beside them. Laeta was wearing a wide, white ball gown and Tristis was wearing a short black top with thin straps and a long, flowing black skirt.

"Alright, now I'll dance with Tia!" Charlotte leaped forward and took Tiana's hands in hers. "And Tristis and Laeta'll dance together...and then Tsuki and Riku can-!"

"No, I'm good. I thought I might just stand here and watch," Riku raised a hand to stop her.

Charlotte gave a short 'hmph' as she let go of Tiana and pushed Tsuki towards Riku. Tsuki gasped as she jolted forward, her face colliding with Riku's chest. He shuffled backwards, holding onto Tsuki so that neither of them fell over. Charlotte then went behind Riku and started moving him towards the dance floor, forcing him to take slow steps forwards. She was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Seriously, I don't dance," Riku protested.

"Well, you do now!" Charlotte grinned as she took her hands off Riku's back and ran to join Tiana again.

Laeta was trying to drag Tristis by the arm out to join the other dancing pairs and Tristis was trying just as hard to pull away.

"Come on, Tristis! You just put this hand here!" Laeta instructed as she placed Tristis' hand on her waist. "And then hold my hand with the other one! It's easy!"

"Ugh. Fine," Tristis groaned.

Laeta started to step along the courtyard, spinning Tristis in time to the music as they danced next to Charlotte and Tiana.

Riku and Tsuki were still awkwardly standing in the middle of it all, Riku with his arms at his sides and Tsuki with hers behind her back. Tsuki twiddled her thumbs nervously.

"So, uh, are we gonna dance, or what?" she smiled.

Riku shook his head and smiled a little as well. "Sure."

He placed a hand on Tsuki's back as she took his free hand in hers while putting the other on his shoulder. Riku stared down at his own feet as he began to move them, so well that it seemed like he had done it many times before. As Tsuki tried to match his steps with her own, she looked up at him suddenly and grinned.

"Hey, you lied! You said you couldn't dance!"

"I said I _don't _dance. I _can _dance...I just...don't," Riku replied matter-of-factly with a casual shrug.

"Huh. I never would have guessed," Tsuki was pleasantly surprised by this new fact that she had learned. "So, how did you learn?"

"My mom taught me," Riku still had his eyes fixed on his feet.

"Aw, that's so sweet. What's your mom like?"

"She was kind and young and pretty, I guess. We used to be really close."

"Used to be? Why, did something happen?" Tsuki tilted her head curiously.

Riku closed his eyes, a solemn look on his face. "I guess you could say that.

Tsuki paused in her confusion for a few seconds, but then it clicked in Tsuki's mind and she uttered a short gasp. "Oh. I-I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Don't worry about it, you didn't know," Riku breathed a quiet laugh.

_I feel stupid for asking, now. Poor Riku..._

Riku suddenly raised his head and smiled as he made eye-contact with Tsuki. "So. Tell me something about yourself, Tsu."

Tsuki blinked. "Huh?"

"I can call you that, right?"

"Um, sure?" Tsuki laughed awkwardly. "Wait, why are you so interested in me all of a sudden?"

Riku shrugged again. "Just making conversation. It's better than just stepping back in forth in silence."

"Alright, then let's both ask each other random pointless questions to pass the time!" Tsuki giggled.

"Okay then, let's see...Oh, I got one. Why are you always so optimistic about everything all the time?" Riku asked.

Tsuki thought about it for a moment. "You know, I can't really help it. I've always just naturally been able to look on the bright side, but I had my serious moments too. But now that I've got less darkness in my heart, I don't know, it's a little harder for me to the responsible and sensible type. I find it a little easier to have fun than I used to," Tsuki laughed. "Alright, my turn...what's the biggest lie you've ever told?"

Riku chuckled to himself and as he did so, he loosed his grip on Tsuki's hand slightly. It made her realise just how much she liked him holding her hand like that and she almost breathed a sigh of relief when he gripped it properly again.  
"Well, I once told Sora that I had the power to turn into a cat. And he believed me for the longest time, it was the funniest thing ever. Hm, what else...what's your most embarrassing moment?"

Tsuki looked away, blushing. "Gagh, I fell off the stage right at the end of my school play in my first year of high-school! And no one ever let me forget it for the rest of the year! Alright, um...what's your biggest regret?"

Riku looked sad again. "Giving into the darkness. That, and fighting you a year ago in Hollow Bastion."

"H-hey, you don't have to worry about that!" Tsuki quickly insisted. "Everything turned out alright in the end!" She was beginning to wish that she hadn't asked that question in the first place.

Riku looked up again and nodded. "Okay...have you ever had a boyfriend?" _Dammit, that was awkward. It just kinda slipped out..._

"Well, I guess I've sorted had one. But I was only, like, seven-years-old and we only ever held hands," Tsuki was blushing a little. "What about you?"

"A boyfriend? No, I can't say I have," Riku smirked. "A girlfriend, on the other hand..." he paused for a few seconds, leaving Tsuki in horrible suspense. "Well, no. Unless you count this one girl back in elementary school who tried to kiss me and drag me into the girl's bathroom on a number of occasions..."

They both laughed for a good long while after that.

...

Tsuki and Riku continued to ask each other questions, getting to know each other better until finally the cheerful songs stopped and were replaced by a slower, more calmer piece of music. Their movements slowed as well to match the beat. After dancing almost non-stop for so long, Tsuki could feel her legs protesting every time she moved them. She let go of Riku's hand and put her arms around his waist, burying her face into his vest as the two of them swayed side to side.

"What are you doing," Riku murmured, laughing into a sigh.

"Tired," Tsuki mumbled back. Her short reply was true, but it also masked the fact that she secretly liked being so close to her Reverse.

To Riku's surprise, he actually didn't mind that she'd done that. He was able to naturally put his own hands on her back, pulling her a little closer to him. It was almost as if she belonged there. Right there with him.

Tristis looked over at the two of them out of the corner of her red-coloured eye and gave a short, quiet gasp. Seeing them like that made her feel a pang of jealousy, but she quickly removed those thoughts from her mind and smiled a little. Although she'd always fancied Riku a little bit, she was glad to see him happy with Tsuki. She turned back to Laeta who hadn't stopped grinning at her since the moment they first started dancing and continued to sway slowly around the court with her.

Tsuki closed her eyes as she leaned against Riku's chest, feeling like she could almost just fall asleep right there and then.

_I don't understand it, _Tsuki's thoughts floated through her mind as she tried to untangle them. _Our hearts __are physically connected, and I can definitely feel that connection. But...I don't know. There's something even more than that. There's some sort of emotion that I can feel as well. But what is it? Happiness? No, that's not quite it.  
_...

...

_Love?  
Yeah, maybe that's it. Maybe I'm in love with Riku._

_..._

_..._

_Oh my god. I'm in love with Riku. But...how? How can that even happen? People don't just fall in love that fast. No wait...maybe...maybe this is how I've always felt. From the moment I first met Riku, I could feel the strong connection I have with him. But it's always been more than that to me. That's why I didn't want to believe that he was a bad person, even when he was throwing me against a wall and holding a blade to my throat. I've always liked him a lot and I've never wanted to leave his side. And the feelings that I have for him just keep getting stronger and stronger with each moment I spend with him now. If only I could stay with him forever._

_But it doesn't matter. I should just forget about my feelings altogether. Because he doesn't feel the same way. He can't feel the same way. He just pushes every emotion he feels aside and pretends that they don't even exist. And when he have to part ways, he'll just pretend that _I _don't even exist. I'll forget about my feelings for him and he'll forget all about me. That's just the way it has to be, right?_

Tsuki dug her fingers into the back of Riku's vest, biting back the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. As she swallowed the lump in her throat, she desperately searched for a way to distract herself from the sadness that was filling her heart.

Riku drowned out the music in the background as he heard Tsuki begin to hum a quiet tune. That familiar song that she wrote herself six years ago. As he swayed her slowly back and forth, he couldn't hear anything but the sweet sound of her humming. And the urge to hum along with her was so hard to fight, it was almost unbearable.

...

**Twilight Town**

After changing back into their normal clothes, they only barely managed to leave Charlotte's mansion without her forcing them to stay there even longer, and soon enough they found themselves back in the old mansion in Twilight Town.

"Hey, Roka," Tsuki greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, Kira. Hey...what?!"

She shuffled back a couple of steps in shock, her ginger hair flying up behind her. "Who the heck is this?!"

Riku stepped up next to Tsuki to stare at the stranger on the sofa, sitting next to Kira. His snow white hair was short and spiked downwards, but his fringe was so long that it covered his eyes, which were closed. The 17-year-old was sleeping soundly with his head tilted back slightly as he leaned against the back of the sofa. He was wearing a black hoodie and dark grey jeans.

Kira looked up at Tsuki, a serious expression on her face. "It's...he's...his name's Yori," she said quietly.

Hearing his name, Yori's eyes fluttered open a little way, revealing his piercing light blue irises. His lips parted slightly as if he was about to say something, but he just sat there staring up and Tsuki and the others.

"What is he doing here?" Riku demanded.

Yori blinked a couple of times. "I'm looking for someone," he said without much emotion in his husky voice.

Tsuki tilted her head at a questioning angle. "Who?"

Shifting himself up into a more comfortable position, he brushed his white fringe away from his eyes, only to have it fall back into place again. "My sister. Ikari."


	14. Becoming a Killer -Part 1-

**Radiant Garden- Four Years Ago**

_"Everyone, we will be having a new student joining us..."_

_"I want you all to give her a warm welcome..."_

_"You can take a seat next to..."_

Ikari found herself sitting in one of the blue desks in the small classroom that were lined up in columns of two. All the sounds around her became muffled as she tuned them out, having no energy to absorb any of it. She absent-mindedly pulled a text book out of her school bag on the floor and rested it on the table top, flipping to a random page. The girl sitting beside her was saying something, but Ikari couldn't tell whether or not she was talking to her.

A loud, undignified gasp clawed its way out of her throat when she felt the girl beside her latch onto her shoulder with her hand.

"Whoa, calm down! Geez, you'd think you were just attacked by a zombie, or something," the 17-year-old patted Ikari on the arm a couple of times.

Ikari just frowned and returned to her book, pretending to actually be learning something.

"You're Ikari, right?"

Ikari sighed and closed the book suddenly, slowly looking up to make eye-contact with the girl. She had bright greenish-blue eyes and short blonde hair. Most of it only reached down to the top of her neck, but there were two parts on either side of her head which were strangely long enough to be put into high pigtails.

"Yeah, that's right," Ikari finally replied in a distant voice.

The girl laughed, "I'm Arleen and this is my buddy, Tai."

Ikari slowly turned her gaze to follow the thumb that Arleen was jerking towards the person sitting directly behind her. There was a boy sitting there with his arms folded over his desk and he was resting his head in the middle of them. Ikari could only see his short dark grey hair that spiked outwards a little. Arleen gave him a light tap on the head with the back of her fist.

"Taishi!"

He jolted up and stared at Arleen with half-closed eyes. His thin rectangular glasses moved to an odd angle on his face and a hint of his turquoise irises showed through. "Mn, what do you want?"

"This is Ikari. Be nice and say hi!" Arleen gestured to Ikari with a grin.

Taishi rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and then opened them fully. He smiled at Ikari politely, straightening his glasses on his face. "Nice to meet you. I'm Taishi. Please call me Tai."

He extended a hand towards Ikari who stared it at for a couple of seconds before she realised that she was supposed to shake it. _He's so formal, _she gushed as she lightly placed her hand in his and moved it up and down a few times.

"Arleen! Taishi! Stop distracting Ikari!" the teacher was glaring cruelly at them.

Arleen quickly straightened her back and threw her text book open, putting on a serious face. When the teacher was satisfied, Arleen smiled cheekily and looked at Ikari from out of the corner of her eye. "Sit with us at recess," she whispered.

...

Before Ikari knew it, the bell had rung and she was sitting at a round table with Tai and Arleen. It was a reasonably loud atmosphere with the other students sitting around eating their lunch and laughing together. Ikari was doing her best to tune out the noise, but Arleen was quick to tap her on the arm to snap her out of it.

"So, how come you're starting school in the middle of the year?" she asked with a mouthful of cheese and crackers.

Tai shook his head, disappointedly. "You shouldn't ask personal questions."

"It's not personal! It's just a question!" Arleen put her hand over her mouth so that she didn't spit any crumbs out.

Ikari stared at the white table with a blank expression. "I've been home-schooled my whole life. And now that I don't have anyone at home to teach me anymore...I don't know, I figured I should probably start going to a real school now," she spoke in a low monotone.

"What, something happen to your parents?" Arleen took a gulp from her water bottle.

Ikari just nodded.

"Arleen, stop," Tai threatened.

The blonde threw her hands up defensively. "I was just asking, sheesh!"

Ikari looked up at her curiously as Arleen suddenly pushed herself up from her chair. The blonde stared wide-eyed at a student who was walking casually past their table. She picked up her water bottle and threw it as hard as she could with an exaggerated battle cry.

The boy she hit gave a short grunt as he staggered back a couple of steps before reaching down quickly to snatch up the bottle before it hit the ground.

"_Thanks _Arleen! I've been dying for a drink," he narrowed his cyan eyes and smirked as he pulled opened the lid with his teeth and took a sip.

Arleen scowled at him. "Well..! Well, you're putting your mouth all over my spit, so ha!"

"Wouldn't be the first time," the boy waved the bottle around playfully as he walked off, running a hand over his blonde mullet.

Arleen looked like she was about to call after him, but then she fell back into her chair in defeat.

"You need to stop picking fights with Medy. They never end well," Tai placed a hand to his forehead.

"Well, one: I hate him. And two: he deserves it! Tch, can't believe I ever went out with that jerk guitar player," Arleen folded her arms and pouted.

Ikari tuned out the rest of Arleen and Tai's conversation, slowly picking through her lunch until the bell rang.

...

Throwing the strap of her bag over the hook on the wall, Ikari pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and slumped down on it, sighing loudly. Yori came through the hallway door and greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Hey, how was school?" Ikari asked, sitting up straight on the chair as she returned his smile.

Yori shrugged. "Yeah, it was alright. What about you?"

"Boring," Ikari laughed tiredly. "Did you make any friends?"

"Maybe one or two. You?"

Ikari thought about for a second before shaking her head. "No, I guess not."

The 13-year-old boy walked over to the table and sat down on a chair of his own. He looked off into the distance, a sad smile on his pale lips.  
"We'll be okay, right?"

Ikari swallowed a lump in her throat as she ran a hand along the side of her forehead. "Yeah. We'll be fine," she forced a smile.

"How much longer is Mom and Dad's munny going to last us?" Yori asked in a small voice.

"I don't know," Ikari's voice trailed off.

_If I don't get a job soon... then we'll be left with nothing. I won't be able to buy food or anything else that we might need. Then what will we do? _

Ikari pushed herself up from the chair as she smiled at her brother, gently ruffling his snow white hair.

"Don't worry. I'll start looking for a job first thing tomorrow."

...

Although over half of Radiant Garden's residents were kind and friendly people, they lived in dark times where there were also a large amount of people that had the intention of doing harm to those around them. It was people like this that were responsible for the death of Ikari's parents. As a result, the nicer people of the town, as kind as they were, preferred to keep to themselves, not allowing strangers into their own personal space. Everyone always had their guard up.  
And so, even though Ikari walked up to each shop with her biggest smile and her best intentions, she was turned away by every store owner she approached to ask for a job. 'Sorry, we're not hiring,' and 'We don't really need any help,' were lines that Ikari had heard over and over again, and by the end of the week, she was just about ready to give up all hope.

Arleen noticed that something was wrong when Ikari stopped bringing lunch to school.

"Did you forget it? Can't you just get something from the cafeteria?"

"No, it's okay. I'm not hungry," Ikari replied in her usual monotone.

It had been two weeks since she had first started school and she had already fallen into a habit of sitting with Arleen and Tai every lunchtime. While she might not have been confident enough to call them her friends, they definitely made good enough acquaintances. She didn't talk to them a lot, but their conversations were always amusing to listen to.

"Ikari, you can tell us if something's going on," Tai told her seriously.

The black-haired girl sat there for a long time in silence before she finally spoke again. "I'm just saving money. That's all. With my parents gone...I'm the only who can provide for my little brother."

"Wait, are you saying you need a job?" Arleen bit down hard into her apple.

Ikari nodded slowly.

"Ha! Well, why didn't you just say so! I've got the perfect job for you!" the blonde cried triumphantly. As she did so, she choked on the fruit that was trying to swallow and Tai had to grab her and slap her on the back a few times.

Ikari's face lit up. "What, you're serious?"

Arleen was coughing, almost falling off her seat as Tai was holding her by her waist. "Yeah! My dad owns the town's Item Shop and he's looking for someone to help him out! Since I work with him too, we could work together!" she said in a rasping voice as Tai helped her slide back onto her seat.

"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full," Tai scolded.

"I'm not a baby!" Arleen coughed again.

"I'll take it!" Ikari stood up suddenly.

Arleen looked up her with wide eyes and tilted her head. "Take...what?"

"The job! When do I start?" Ikari beamed.

"Oh, right! The job! Walk home with me after school and I'll talk to my dad about it," Arleen winked and made a peace sign with her fingers.

...

As the kitchen sink was almost starting to overflow, Tai had to shake Arleen by the arm to snap her out of her day dream. Gasping, the blonde clasped a hand over the tap and turned it off. The bubbles were nearly sliding out onto the bench, but she'd managed to avoid spilling any water on it.

Pulling open the cupboard below, Arleen started to rummage through it, looking for one item in particular.

"Hey, 'Kari? Where do keep that...uh...that thingy that you use to clean pots and pans and stuff?" her voice echoed slightly as she stuck her head inside.

"The brush?" Ikari looked back at her over her shoulder from her station at the window which she was washing with a grey cloth.

"No, no, the other thing. It's silver and it's made up of a bunch of metal-y things all smooshed together? Looks kinda like a giant robot cat's fur ball?"

"Oh, that..." somehow Ikari managed to understand what she was talking about from her strange explanation. "I actually have no idea what that thing's called. It's right above you on the windowsill."

There was a crash followed by a sharp 'ouch!' as Arleen hit her head on the roof of the cupboard.

Ikari has been working for Arleen's dad for a good few months now. The pay she received allowed her to provide for herself and her brother without any worry and the two of them were living happy and somewhat normal lives. Working with Arleen every day after school, the two of them had been able to get to know each other well and Ikari now felt like she could call her a friend.

It was Tai who suggested to Arleen that they should come by Ikari's house every once and a while and help her out with things at home. And so, here they were, doing just that. Ikari was washing the windows and sweeping floors. Arleen was on dishwashing duty and Tai was standing by with a towel over his arm, ready to dry and put the dishes away. The three of them worked together efficiently and managed to get the whole house tidied before dinner time. Ikari was grateful that she had one less thing to worry about.

Tai sighed as he ran the cloth over one of the white plates that Arleen had just washed. "So, I'm guessing you'll be dragging me along to the festival with you this year as well?"

"It's our annual tradition! There's no way I'm breaking it now!" Arleen giggled, placing a clean spoon on the bench beside her.

"Festival?" Ikari asked, walking up to them.

"Yeah, the festival!" Arleen grinned.

"What festival?"

"_The _festival!"

Ikari shook her head.

Arleen drew in an exaggerated gasp of surprise. "You're kidding right? What, have you been living under a rock this whole time?"

"I don't get out much," Ikari laughed nervously.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Arleen put a hand to her forehead, smiling with closed eyes.

Tai put down the cloth and gingerly brushed part of his dark grey fringe to the side. "It's the only festival this town has. The Radiant Garden Fireworks Festival," he explained. "There's stalls set up around the marketplace with games and rides and food. And at night when it gets dark enough, everyone gets their own firework to set off. That's pretty much all it is. I don't really get why people get so excited about it."

"You'll come with us, right?" Arleen grabbed Ikari's arms and shook her a little.

Ikari took a moment to think about it. "I...don't know. Can I bring my little brother along?"

"Actually, I have a little brother as well. If I brought him with me, the two of them could hang out together?" Tai suggested.

Ikari shrugged and smiled. "Sure, that's a good idea."

Arleen giggled and punched the air enthusiastically. "Perfect! It's a date, then!"

...

As it turned out, Tai's brother was actually a boy that Yori had already made friends with at school. So the two of them were able to go off and explore the festival on their own while Ikari, Arleen and Tai walked around each stall with Arleen making them try out everything they possibly could. Ikari found herself in a fast flurry of cotton candy, giant teddy bears and Ferris wheel rides. By the time night came, she was completely exhausted.

She was sitting on a park bench with Tai a little out of the way of the crowd. The sky was dark and the late autumn air was cold on Ikari's face. She was wearing a purple coat lined with fur, blue jeans, black mittens and a cream-coloured scarf around her neck. Arleen had gone off somewhere to get each of them a firework to set off.

Ikari was so sleepy and Tai's shoulder was just the right height for her to rest her head on. It looked so inviting. She could feel her head getting heavier and heavier, her eyes were beginning to slide shut as she struggled to keep them open. She was slowly leaning over, closer and closer to Tai.

"Guys, I'm back!" Arleen came running up to them.

Ikari jolted awake and sat up straight with wide eyes. Tai looked over at her and smiled.

"Don't worry, the day's almost over," he said, apparently completely unaware of what Ikari had almost done.

Ikari yawned and stared into space with half-closed eyes.

"But the night's just getting started! Come on, let's go blow stuff up!" Arleen was already leaving.

Tai sighed and stood up slowly, a cloud of white steam pouring out of his mouth. He held out his hand, offering it to Ikari. The raven-haired girl looked up at him, feeling a little nervous and happy at the same time as she took his hand in her mitten and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

The three of them made their way to a clear part of the large field that everyone was gathering on. The sky was filled with tiny stars, but there were also a few grey clouds that streaked across it in some places. Arleen crouched down on the grass and dug the stand of her firework into the soft dirt. Tai and Ikari kneeled down and did the same. Arleen suddenly made a high-pitched 'hm?' sound and looked up.

"Hey! Long time, no see, Lumaria!" she greeted the young man standing near them.

The person she had called out to turned and looked back at her with an unimpressed look on their face. The man had light pink, ruffled shoulder-length hair and blue eyes, almost as striking as Ikari's. He was holding a small firework in his hand.

"Hello, Arleen. Tai. Arleen and Tai's friend," he greeted each of them in a tired voice.

Arleen grabbed Ikari's arm. "This is Ik-"

"I'm not going to see this person again, nor am I going to remember her. So I'm not going to waste my time with meaningless pleasantries," Lumaria flicked his hair back behind his shoulders with the back of his hand.

_Well, that was rude. _Ikari looked away, awkwardly.

Arleen folded her arms and pouted, obviously sharing Ikari's opinion. "You're mean. Anyway, how's the flower stall going?"

"Quite well. Here, why don't you have this?" Lumaria pulled a red rose from the long sleeve of his black coat. He offered it to the blonde. "It's thorn-less. Unlike your heart."

"At least I have one!" Arleen snatched up the flower.

"Please." That seemed to be the only comeback that Lumaria could come up with. "Now, I think I'll be leaving. It's almost time to set off the fireworks."

"I bet yours is pink!"

"What do you want? A medal?" Lumaria waved as he walked away.

Arleen glared after him and muttered something under her breath which Ikari was only able to catch the last part of: "-itch."

"Who was that guy?" Ikari couldn't help but ask.

"Lumaria. He went to our school. He was in the year above us so he was never in any of our classes. Arleen just happened to see him in the cafeteria one day and went up to him, trying to start a conversation with him, asking if his hair was a natural colour. He didn't want anything to do with her, of course. But for the rest of the year, she made a habit of harassing him at any opportunity she could," Tai had to speak a little louder than usual to be heard over the chattering people around them.

"Hey, I didn't _harass _him! I know he secretly enjoyed my company," Arleen giggled.

Tai shook his head. "Anyway, he graduated last year and started up a business selling flowers or something like that."

"Uh huh..." Ikari couldn't think of much else to say in reply, almost wishing she hadn't asked in the first place.

On a stage not too far away, the mayor of the town was standing in front of a microphone and making some kind of speech. When the important-looking woman was finished, the crowd started to count down loudly from twenty. Arleen fumbled with a matchbox in her hand and slid it open, taking out three matches and passing one to Ikari and one to Tai.

"Come on, it's time!" she had to raise her voice over the loud chanting.

Ikari held onto the match tightly in between her thumb and index finger. By the time the crowd had counted down to ten, Arleen passed around the box and they all lit their matches, dragging it quickly along the side of the box and creating golden flame that joined the other lights scattered amongst the people gathered on the field.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO-"

Everyone placed their matches against the wicks of their fireworks and a low fizz sound was heard, sparks flying in all directions, making everyone jump back a couple of steps.

"ONE!"

With whistles and bangs, swirls of colour burst into the sky. Red, yellow, purple, blue, pink. A rainbow of light filled the darkness above them. Ikari stared at the beautiful fireworks in wonder. From her crouching position on the ground, she stole a glance at Tai. The bright colours seemed to reflect off his rectangular glasses, making them shimmer and his eyes sparkle behind them. He was staring up at the sky with a dreamy expression on his face.

Ikari had always seen Tai as being an attractive boy. But now, as they stared up at the firework and star-filled star, she finally realised something that she hadn't thought of before...

He was actually quite gorgeous.


End file.
